1
as in stars
a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body that shines by its own light
awed by the vast number of luminaries in the night sky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
luminaries from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and politics were at the gala
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of luminaries
The event was modeled after MGM’s Studio luncheon to commemorate their 25th anniversary, which also welcomed actors, producers and other luminaries.
—
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
She was hailed as a seminal aesthetic and technical influence by such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Quentin Tarantino and Madonna.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Actor George Wendt, producer Paul Libin, director Mark Brokaw and Take Me Out playwright Richard Greenberg will be among the luminaries honored with Broadway‘s second group light-dimming next week.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Daniels, for his part, visited papers like The Dallas Morning News and spoke with journalists, while Koman leaned on his lifelong fascination with journalism’s luminaries like Gay Talese and Ben Bradlee.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The deep learning luminaries Yann LeCun (of Meta), Demis Hassabis (of Google DeepMind) and Yoshua Bengio (of Mila, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute) all believe world models are essential for building AI systems that are truly smart, scientific and safe.
—John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025
One of the luminaries del Toro and crew are competing against at Venice 2025, interestingly, is Yorgos Lanthimos, who previously proffered his own riff on Frankenstein with Poor Things.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Thomas Healy, the 33-year-old founder and CEO of Hyliion, recently shared his take on high-pressure dealmaking in an interview with the School of Hard Knocks, a rapidly growing TikTok channel known for spotlighting entrepreneurs and modern business luminaries.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Qumra is a rare platform globally dedicated to supporting first- and second-time filmmakers with direct access to global film experts and cinema luminaries.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
She was hailed as a seminal aesthetic and technical influence by such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Quentin Tarantino and Madonna.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Actor George Wendt, producer Paul Libin, director Mark Brokaw and Take Me Out playwright Richard Greenberg will be among the luminaries honored with Broadway‘s second group light-dimming next week.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Daniels, for his part, visited papers like The Dallas Morning News and spoke with journalists, while Koman leaned on his lifelong fascination with journalism’s luminaries like Gay Talese and Ben Bradlee.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The deep learning luminaries Yann LeCun (of Meta), Demis Hassabis (of Google DeepMind) and Yoshua Bengio (of Mila, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute) all believe world models are essential for building AI systems that are truly smart, scientific and safe.
—John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025
One of the luminaries del Toro and crew are competing against at Venice 2025, interestingly, is Yorgos Lanthimos, who previously proffered his own riff on Frankenstein with Poor Things.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Thomas Healy, the 33-year-old founder and CEO of Hyliion, recently shared his take on high-pressure dealmaking in an interview with the School of Hard Knocks, a rapidly growing TikTok channel known for spotlighting entrepreneurs and modern business luminaries.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Qumra is a rare platform globally dedicated to supporting first- and second-time filmmakers with direct access to global film experts and cinema luminaries.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
-
In the film — her first since portraying opera diva Maria Callas in last year’s Maria — the Oscar winner, 50, stars as Maxine, an American film director hired to make a video for a Paris fashion event amid being diagnosed with breast cancer and navigating a divorce.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Last night saw a host of celebrities turn out for the fourth annual Kering Foundation Caring for Women dinner in New York City, putting on their most glamorous gowns.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Where other presentations emphasize nondescript techno music and straight-size models, Antonoff and Alexsandra showcased their designs through a who's who of celebrities, sporting their new looks while carrying shelter dogs available for adoption.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Not a strike of lightning from Heaven, but rather the perfect alignment of multiple moons, stars and galaxies.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Follow-up research could aim to push observations even farther, the researchers say, potentially detecting dust in the vast spaces between galaxies.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As their mismatched personalities stir tension with each other — and the group — old resentments bubble up, forcing them to reckon with their relationship and the lives waiting for them back home.—
Hannah Kerns,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The Bundestrainer prioritized squad building over trying to shoehorn big personalities into the team.—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Often featuring suns, moons and stars in deep jewel tones like blue, black and gold, the style appeared often in the 1990s on fashion and home décor.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
-
However, time is short, with Mercury rapidly sinking into the suns’ glare by next week, reducing the parade to five.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Her comments come as Democrats face a leadership crossroads in Washington, with long-serving figures under scrutiny and younger candidates pushing for change.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Plenty of timepiece brands increased their prices, too, in response to those initial tariff figures back in April, according to Hodinkee.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Instead of forming evenly in all directions, the clusters grew unevenly, faster in some directions than others.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Break up the plantings of shrubs with clusters of attractive evergreen trees.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Beneath the canopy of a giant Ethiopian flag, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed a crowd of dignitaries including the presidents of Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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Fireworks lit up the sky the night before the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was officially opened, and dancers dressed as engineers in hardhats performed at the colorful daytime ceremony attended by African dignitaries.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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