illuminating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- illuminatingly adverb
- nonilluminating adjective
- nonilluminatingly adverb
- unilluminating adjective
Etymology
Origin of illuminating
First recorded in 1555–65; illuminat(e) + -ing 2
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.
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
“We’ve made a lot of progress as a community working with Republicans, working with Democrats,” he said, as the sun made a brief appearance, illuminating the Douglas firs outside his door.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026
The subject line of your email, to play therapist for a moment, was illuminating and revealed the heart of your conundrum.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 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
Firelight flickered on the wet cave walls, illuminating the buffalo head, the man’s body, skin the color of brick clay.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
