illuminate

[ verb ih-loo-muh-neyt; adjective, noun ih-loo-muh-nit, -neyt ]

/ verb ɪˈlu məˌneɪt; adjective, noun ɪˈlu mə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: illuminate / illuminated / illuminating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), il·lu·mi·nat·ed, il·lu·mi·nat·ing.

to supply or brighten with light; light up.

to make lucid or clear; throw light on (a subject).

to decorate with lights, as in celebration.

to enlighten, as with knowledge.

to make resplendent or illustrious: A smile illuminated her face.

to decorate (a manuscript, book, etc.) with colors and gold or silver, as was often done in the Middle Ages.

verb (used without object), il·lu·mi·nat·ed, il·lu·mi·nat·ing.

to display lights, as in celebration.

to become illuminated.

adjective

Archaic. illuminated.

Obsolete. enlightened.

noun

Archaic. a person who is or affects to be specially enlightened.

OTHER WORDS FOR illuminate

2 clarify, explain, elucidate.

See synonyms for illuminate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of illuminate

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin illūminātus (past participle of illūmināre to light up, brighten). See illumine, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM illuminate

il·lu·mi·nat·ing·ly, adverbpre·il·lu·mi·nate, verb (used with object)re·il·lu·mi·nate, verb, re·il·lu·mi·nat·ed, re·il·lu·mi·nat·ing.sem·i-il·lu·mi·nat·ed, adjective

un·il·lu·mi·nat·ed, adjective

Words nearby illuminate

illude, illume, illuminable, illuminance, illuminant, illuminate, illuminati, illuminating, illumination, illuminative, illuminator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use illuminate in a sentence

The beast stood immobile, glaring at us with yellow eyes in the winter dark and illuminated unevenly by Sergey’s light as our pace quickened.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
What’s really interesting, though, are the fuzzy jets and streamers surrounding the comet, which are especially prominent when illuminated like this from behind.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
Even if nothing is actually decided at the conventions, they still shine a spotlight on the parties, illuminating emerging factions and up-and-coming politicians, setting the stage for — and creating — the future of each party.
Why Conventions Still Matter|Julia Azari|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Visitors will enter through an illuminated maze, then be invited to contribute words from kiosks, after which an AI-powered algorithm will collect and parse them into poetry, and perhaps shoot them into outer space.
The Story Behind the Eiffel Tower’s Forgotten Competitors|Fiona Zublin|August 10, 2020|Ozy

In the ocean’s depths, it might take more than a little light to illuminate some of the planet’s darkest fish.
Superblack fish can disappear in the deep sea’s darkness|Erin Garcia de Jesus|August 10, 2020|Science News For Students
When we can barely illuminate our own world, it would be superstitious to imagine that dead men could do it for us.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years|Jedediah Purdy|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These numbers portend to illuminate society-threatening failures within the current immigration enforcement system.
Inside The Center For Immigration Studies, The Immigration False-Fact Think Tank|Caitlin Dickson|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reading them will illuminate your own life and make it better.
What Sebastian Junger, Susan Orlean, and Others Are Reading This Fall|Byliner|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Dispensing with some of the objections helps to illuminate this case.
The Case For Cutting Off Aid to Egypt|Ali Gharib|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But he says it well and often adds fresh details that help illuminate events in countries like Afghanistan.
The End of the Illusion: America Finally Learns Its Limits|Jacob Heilbrunn|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Two many-branched candelabra, holding wax lights, brilliantly illuminate the game.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Great artists appear in clusters, and amid the other constellations that illuminate the intellectual heavens.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
By that time the grin in his face was almost bright enough of itself to illuminate any ordinary page.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
History wants no illusions; it should illuminate and instruct, not merely give descriptions and narratives which impress us.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
There was sufficient light from the lamps of the two cars to illuminate the scene.
The Girl and The Bill|Bannister Merwin

British Dictionary definitions for illuminate

illuminate

verb (ɪˈluːmɪˌneɪt)

(tr) to throw light in or into; light upto illuminate a room

(tr) to make easily understood; clarify

to adorn, decorate, or be decorated with lights

(tr) to decorate (a letter, page, etc) by the application of colours, gold, or silver

(intr) to become lighted up

adjective (ɪˈluːmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)

archaic made clear or bright with light; illuminated

noun (ɪˈluːmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)

a person who has or claims to have special enlightenment

Derived forms of illuminate

illuminative, adjectiveilluminator, noun

Word Origin for illuminate

C16: from Latin illūmināre to light up, from lūmen light

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

illuminate

OTHER WORDS FOR illuminate

Origin of illuminate

OTHER WORDS FROM illuminate

Words nearby illuminate

Words related to illuminate

How to use illuminate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for illuminate

Derived forms of illuminate

Word Origin for illuminate