illuminati

plural noun

il·​lu·​mi·​na·​ti i-ˌlü-mə-ˈnä-tē How to pronounce illuminati (audio)
1
capitalized : any of various groups claiming special religious enlightenment
2
: persons who are or who claim to be unusually enlightened
3
: elite sense 1d
members of the academic illuminati

Examples of illuminati in a Sentence

a book launching party to which only New York's cultural illuminati were invited
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The jean jacket, a favorite of the Highland Park IPA illuminati, is free of the problematic associations of the chore coat. Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 All three make great cases, and despite what the NBA illuminati on Twitter may demand, there is not a wrong choice or incorrect order. Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2022 Hundreds of images in a folder on his computer acted as evidence for beliefs that included the illuminati, the deep state, Covid as a bioweapon, false flags and election rigging, just to name a few. NBC News, 18 Jan. 2022 Modeled on the rippled look of paper lanterns, this multifunctional lamp is a collab between the design firm Silvon and the illuminati at Gantri. Gear Team, Wired, 22 Nov. 2021 Asle isn’t Jesus or Lazarus, Åsleik isn’t Andrew, no illuminati appear. Wyatt Mason, Harper's Magazine, 20 July 2021 Though salads are the staple of the healthy lunch illuminati, my intolerance for eating a bowl of lettuce has always left me feeling out of the club. Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2021 Meaning: this isn't The X-Files or Orphan Black in terms of a pervasive, confusing illuminati. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2019 Fans have recently been tweeting about Billie and her alleged relationship to the illuminati. Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, 13 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Italian & New Latin; Italian, from New Latin, from Latin, plural of illuminatus

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of illuminati was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near illuminati

Cite this Entry

“Illuminati.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illuminati. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!