Thesaurus
illuminate
illuminate
verb
Definition of ILLUMINATE
1
to supply with light <a floor lamp illuminates a living room rather nicely>
Related Words brighten; beam, beat (down), radiate, shine; enhalo, halo; floodlight; highlight, spotlight; blaze, burn, fire, flame, glare, glow, ignite, incinerate, kindle; bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle; gleam, glisten, glitter
2
to make plain or understandable <the museum's exhibit on the refraction of light really illuminated the subject for us>
Synonyms clarify, clear (up), construe, demonstrate, demystify, elucidate, explicate, expound, get across, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, simplify, spell out, unriddle
Related Words decipher, decode; analyze, break down; disentangle, undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle; resolve, solve; define, specify; annotate, commentate, gloss
Antonyms obscure
3
to supplement with pictorial matter for the purpose of explanation or decoration <no one knows for sure the identity of the artist who illuminated that medieval manuscript so beautifully>
Synonyms illuminate, pictorialize
4
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on <that city's total unpreparedness for the powerful hurricane illuminated the need for all cities to have plans in place before disaster strikes>
Synonyms accent, accentuate, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, stress
Related Words focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight; advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize; overplay
Antonyms de-emphasize, play down
5
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