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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of illumine
The lighting illumines each river in brilliantly bright backdrop colors.
—
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
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
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumine
Verb
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The primary living space is warmed by a log-burning fireplace and leads to a kitchen galley partially illuminated by a skylight.—
Richard Lane,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The emerging human/machine partnership illuminates what each brings to the table.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Stanford educated Soubhik Dawn, a two-time founder and seasoned product management professional, understands the abyss that confronts many job seekers.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The program works to educate kids on physical fitness and healthy eating while providing necessary equipment like running shoes for low-income households.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Make a massive ‘SOS’ or light a fire to create smoke.—
Jen Murphy,
Outside Online,
3 Mar. 2025
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The way the room is lit, the pacing of the evening, the way a dish is introduced, the way our team gets to know our guests - these small things create the overall experience.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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From her childhood sewing machine and early college sketches, to up-close looks at the Malcolm X zoot suits and Turkana-tribe inspired beadwork for Black Panther, the result was a comprehensive, full-circle story.—
Essence,
Essence,
4 Mar. 2025
-
There's Potato Lab, a new Korean rom-com series, The Leopard, an adaptation of the Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa novel that inspired the classic 1963 from Luchino Visconti, Little Siberia, a Finnish disaster comedy, and Nadaaniyan, a quirky Indian romance.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Use a cotton swab to work the treatment into seams and to brighten up vents, crevices and other irregular surfaces. Passport: Explore the finest destinations and experiences around the world in the Forbes Passport newsletter.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Casa Loewe’s golden facade brightens the Jing’an Kerry Center commercial district.—
WWD,
WWD,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illumine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumine. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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