Entry Word: illuminate

Function: verb

Meaning: 1 to supply with light <a floor lamp illuminates a living room rather nicely>

Synonyms illumine, irradiate, light, lighten

Related Words brighten; beam, beat (down), radiate, shine; floodlight; highlight, spotlight; blaze, burn, fire, flame, glare, glow, ignite, incinerate, kindle; bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle; gleam, glisten, glitter

Near Antonyms dim, dull, obscure; cover, shroud, veil; douse, extinguish, put out, quench, snuff (out)

Antonyms blacken, darken

2 to make plain or understandable <the teacherʼs demonstration of the refraction of light really illuminated the subject for us> — see explain 1