illuminating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illuminating
First recorded in 1555–65; illuminat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's illuminating makes you better informed, more aware, or more inspired. An illuminating documentary film gives you all kinds of new information about its subject. Describe things as illuminating when they clarify the situation or explain the facts. A long conversation with someone you don't know well can be illuminating, helping you understand her much better. Likewise, studying the details of any subject, whether it's dog training or art history, is also illuminating. The verb illuminate means "light up," and it comes from the Latin word illuminare, "to throw into light or make bright," which is also figuratively used to mean "illustrate."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It shows the sea stacks off the coast of Hillswick, with the "mirrie dancer" Northern Lights illuminating the sky above.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing a new way to determine which cancer patients are most likely to benefit from targeted therapies by illuminating tumors in medical scans.
From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026
These events aren’t illuminating and feel instead like a bleak betrayal.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
In front of Moscow's ornate Bolshoi Theatre, its soft yellow lights illuminating a snowstorm in the Russian capital, Valentina Ivakina had come to "escape today's problems".
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
They zigzagged across the park in blinding flashes, illuminating the terrified faces of poxies and demons alike.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
