illumination

1 a statement that makes something clear <the candidate's so-called illuminations of his views on a number of controversial issues left many voters in the dark> Synonyms clarification, construction, elucidation, exegesis, explication, exposition, explanation, illustration, interpretation, road mapRelated Words paraphrase, restatement, translation; annotation, comment, commentary, epexegesis, gloss; deciphering, decoding; disentanglement, unscrambling; analysis; edification, enlightenment; definition, meaning; demonstration, enactment; justification, rationale, rationalization, reasoning; caution, caveat, warning

2 the quality or state of having or giving off light <in that clime the illumination of the full moon is such as you can practically read by it> Synonyms brightness, brilliancy, candor, dazzle, effulgence, brilliance, lambency, lightness, luminance, luminosity, luminousness, luster (or lustre), lustrousness, radiance, refulgence, splendorRelated Words blaze, flare, flash, flicker, light; fluorescence, incandescence, luminescence; burnish, gloss, polish, sheen, shine, shininess; fire, flame, glare, glow; flash, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, scintillation, shimmer, sparkle, twinkleNear Antonyms dimness, gloominess, somberness; cloudiness, haziness, murkiness, obscureness, obscurity; colorlessness, grayness, lackluster, paleness, shadiness, shadowinessAntonyms blackness, dark, darkness, dullness (also dulness), duskiness

3 the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible <a steady illumination from the flashlight was all I had while changing the tire> Synonyms blaze, flare, fluorescence, glare, gleam, glow, light, incandescence, luminescence, radiance, shineRelated Words flash, glimmer, glint, glitter, scintillation, shimmer, sparkle, twinkle; daylight, moonlight, sunlight, sunshine; afterglow, aureole (or aureola), aurora, beam, halo, ray, shaft, streak, stream, sunbeam; glisten, gloss, luster (or lustre), polish, reflection, sheenNear Antonyms blackness, dark, darkness, dimness, dusk, duskiness, gloom, night, shadow