illumination

American  

[ih-loo-muh-nay-shuhn] / ɪˌlu məˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• illuminations
  plural

1. an act or instance of illuminating.

2. the fact or condition of being illuminated.

3. a decoration of lights, usually colored lights.

4. Sometimes illuminations. an entertainment, display, or celebration using lights as a major feature or decoration.

5. intellectual or spiritual enlightenment.

   Synonyms:

   wisdom, insight, revelation, knowledge

6. Also called illuminance, intensity of illumination. Optics. the intensity of light falling at a given place on a lighted surface; the luminous flux incident per unit area, expressed in lumens per unit of area.

7. a supply of light.

   a source of illumination.

8. decoration of a manuscript or book with a painted design in color, gold, etc.

9. a design used in such decoration.

---

illumination British  

/ ɪˌluːmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of illuminating or the state of being illuminated

2. a source of light

3. (often plural) a light or lights, esp coloured lights, used as decoration in streets, parks, etc

4. spiritual or intellectual enlightenment; insight or understanding

5. the act of making understood; clarification

6. decoration in colours, gold, or silver used on some manuscripts or printed works

7. physics another name (not in technical usage) for illuminance

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonillumination
  noun
• preillumination
  noun
• reillumination
  noun
• illuminational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• illuminations
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of illumination

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Medieval Latin illūminātiōn-, stem of illūminātiō “spiritual enlightenment,” from Latin: “illustriousness, glory”; see illuminate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

---

Explanation

Illumination is light. Kids up past their bedtimes have been known to read entire books under their covers using only the illumination from a flashlight. Use the noun illumination to talk about light, like the illumination of the moon on the surface of a lake. Illumination can also refer to an understanding or a spiritual awareness, like when a mystery of your faith suddenly makes sense to you. The Latin root is illuminationem, "throw into light" — you can picture the light bulb over a person's head in a cartoon to remember the various meaning of illumination.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

illumination illuminations

Short came to embody the inverse of that picture, the shaded gloom lurking in places that escape sunshiny illumination.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

"Night-time illumination around the site has returned to higher levels after falling sharply following the suspension," also suggesting increased activity, it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Buck Moon is set to reach its peak illumination at 15:36 BST, however this will occur just below the horizon.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

It recedes into the past for comfort and illumination, then embraces the present, where Laferte is hailed as a trendsetter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and of valor.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Guild restrictions similarly meant that only Christian artists could create decorative illuminations for Jewish prayer books and documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

He left school at the age of 14 and worked in a variety of jobs, including electrical work for the famous Blackpool illuminations, before going on to become a Post Office engineer with BT.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

"Traditionally we have decorative lighting and illuminations on Independence Day and other national days, but this time we will refrain from that, as part of the austerity measures," Ahmed told reporters.

From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026

The illuminations set off from the London Eye, and barges moored in a central area of the river featured more than 12,000 fireworks.

From DOGO News ● Jan. 2, 2024

Jeanne examines a Latin volume with beautiful illuminations in blue, red, and gold leaf.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• brightness

---