1
as in to illuminate
to supply with light
small table lamps illumine the inn's dining room in a most romantic way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
readers of great literature are both entertained and illumined
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of illumine
The bar was illumined by candles and an uplit line of mostly esoteric liquors along the full-length mirror against the back wall.
—
Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
In a room illumined by the light of a few candles, a group of women with veils over their faces conducts a séance.
—Rhoda Feng, ARTnews.com, 9 Aug. 2024
First a dazzling light show that illumined the arena in a constellation of purple.
—NBC News, 5 Aug. 2024
Hung’s defense of artistic passion starts with the human touch, then illumines our basic needs and spiritual appetite.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The papaya-pulp glow of sodium lights on a remote station’s platform revealed the denizens of the wayside: disused open-top hoppers, empty coil cars, corroded gondolas, a modest village in the distance illumined by weak-yellow streetlamps.
—Mark Orwoll, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2023
There was in the Registry, besides, her portrait, painted by an artist of the time in the conventional style of the time: haloed, illumined, awestruck eyes fixed upward to the heavens.
—Cynthia Ozick, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
The non-narrative videos, which may well come to be regarded as the Sistine Chapel of video art, projected onto epic screens above the orchestra and singers, serve not to illumine Wagner’s drama but his intent.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2022
In addition, examples of illustration and decorative design by Holbein and others illumine the varied functions of a sixteenth-century court vocation.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
In a room illumined by the light of a few candles, a group of women with veils over their faces conducts a séance.
—Rhoda Feng, ARTnews.com, 9 Aug. 2024
First a dazzling light show that illumined the arena in a constellation of purple.
—NBC News, 5 Aug. 2024
Hung’s defense of artistic passion starts with the human touch, then illumines our basic needs and spiritual appetite.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The papaya-pulp glow of sodium lights on a remote station’s platform revealed the denizens of the wayside: disused open-top hoppers, empty coil cars, corroded gondolas, a modest village in the distance illumined by weak-yellow streetlamps.
—Mark Orwoll, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2023
There was in the Registry, besides, her portrait, painted by an artist of the time in the conventional style of the time: haloed, illumined, awestruck eyes fixed upward to the heavens.
—Cynthia Ozick, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
The non-narrative videos, which may well come to be regarded as the Sistine Chapel of video art, projected onto epic screens above the orchestra and singers, serve not to illumine Wagner’s drama but his intent.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2022
In addition, examples of illustration and decorative design by Holbein and others illumine the varied functions of a sixteenth-century court vocation.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumine
Verb
-
Inflatable boats have been launched and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the crash site.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Often the prisoners stand in the window holding their phones, so their faces are illuminated.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The office now is responsible for educating and developing strategies with the military on how to reduce civilian harm and working with allied nations on harm reduction strategies.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Three years later, Anaheim Union High School District trustees passed a resolution to sue Mexico for $50 million for the cost of educating people like me, who were the children of unauthorized immigrants.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Nothing lights her fire more than an emotionally intelligent man.—
Joel Thayer,
Newsweek,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The climate crisis is pouring gasoline on these blazes, but the Mafia may be lighting the spark, according to new research.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.—
Joshua Korber Hoffman,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
-
It is inspired by the extraordinary real-life story of Mathias Rust, a young West German teenager in 1987 who shocked the world by flying through Soviet air defences and landed a Cessna aeroplane right in the middle of the Red Square.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
That's Cosrx's Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, whose namesake ingredient (96% snail mucin) soothes blemishes, brightens acne scars, and evens out hyperpigmentation.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
23 Jan. 2025
-
This majesty palm is popular for being a pet-friendly, low maintenance plant that brightens a space with its tropical green fronds.—
Anna Haines,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near illumine
Cite this Entry
“Illumine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumine. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share