illumination
noun
il·lu·mi·na·tion
i-ˌlü-mə-ˈnā-shən 
1
: the action of illuminating or state of being illuminated: such as
a
: spiritual or intellectual enlightenment
b(1)
: a lighting up
(2)
: decorative lighting or lighting effects
c
: decoration by the art of illuminating
2
: the luminous flux per unit area on an intercepting surface at any given point
3
: one of the decorative features used in the art of illuminating or in decorative lighting
Synonyms
Examples of illumination in a Sentence
When taking photographs indoors, use a flash for illumination.
They traveled to the temple in search of spiritual illumination.
an old manuscript with beautiful illuminations
Recent Examples on the Web
How to see it The snow moon reaches peak illumination at 8:53 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
The snow moon will reach peak illumination Wednesday morning at 8:53 a.m. EST, according to earthsky.org.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
The game will include ray-traced global illumination and reflections, along with an in-game benchmark tool.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
The Nature at Night experience is an illumination of the Lost Cave and Nature Trail, and the experience tells the story of the Osage Native Americans and the story of Christmas in the Ozark.
—Paula Conway, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illumination 
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Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
The snow moon will reach peak illumination Wednesday morning at 8:53 a.m. EST, according to earthsky.org.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
The game will include ray-traced global illumination and reflections, along with an in-game benchmark tool.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
The Nature at Night experience is an illumination of the Lost Cave and Nature Trail, and the experience tells the story of the Osage Native Americans and the story of Christmas in the Ozark.
—Paula Conway, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illumination
Articles Related to illumination
Dictionary Entries Near illumination
Cite this Entry
“Illumination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illumination. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illumination
noun
il·lu·mi·na·tion
il-ˌü-mə-ˈnā-shən
1
a
: the action of illuminating or state of being illuminated
b
: amount of light
2
: gold or colored decoration in a manuscript
Medical Definition
illumination
noun
il·lu·mi·na·tion
il-ˌü-mə-ˈnā-shən
1
: the action of supplying or brightening with light or the resulting state
2
: the luminous flux per unit area on an intercepting surface at any given point
called also illuminance
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