1
as in explanation
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 & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in brightness
the quality or state of having or giving off light
in that clime the illumination of the full moon on a clear night is so bright that you can practically read by it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in glow
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illumination
One look at a light pollution map proves that remote Capitol Reef, located in south-central Utah, has impressively little artificial illumination.
—
Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
With the biggest harvests occurring in the fall, this particular full moon's illumination was especially significant, according to NASA.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
But at a moment when many people are in a perpetual state of gloominess — courtesy of the news, social media doomscrolling or streaming/cable dramas that confuse lack of literal illumination with profundity — the pleasantly sunny escapism is difficult to resent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
Drenched in highly vibrant light for heightened illumination, each collage detail shimmers and the smallest symbols and textures are amplified to enhance the visual narrative.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illumination
Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
With the biggest harvests occurring in the fall, this particular full moon's illumination was especially significant, according to NASA.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
But at a moment when many people are in a perpetual state of gloominess — courtesy of the news, social media doomscrolling or streaming/cable dramas that confuse lack of literal illumination with profundity — the pleasantly sunny escapism is difficult to resent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
Drenched in highly vibrant light for heightened illumination, each collage detail shimmers and the smallest symbols and textures are amplified to enhance the visual narrative.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illumination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumination
Noun
-
Some scientists question how useful predictions made by AI will be, if the AI can’t provide an explanation for them.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
There were innumerable explanations of varying degrees of plausibility, but that made the image interesting to him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The meteors, known for their brightness and speed, travel at about 41 miles per second into Earth's atmosphere and can leave glowing trains, or incandescent bits of debris following the meteor, that last for several seconds to minutes.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Magnitude Magnitude is the scale used to measure the apparent brightness of objects in the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Those features then show up at late times, imprinted in the Big Bang’s leftover glow (the cosmic microwave background, or CMB), as well as in the large-scale clustering of galaxies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The streets are blocked off to outside traffic, which gives those fall Saturdays a nostalgic glow.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What surprised Chong was how Wei’s interpretation added unexpected depth to the character.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
-
For example, being able to reproduce data and always staying open to new interpretations.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
So, astronomers have come up with a compromise regarding the geometry of the sun's illumination angle on Venus' disk versus its distance from Earth to determine the time of Venus' greatest brilliancy.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American-Statesman,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The team discovered that oxygen can degrade riboflavin when exposed to light, which leads to self-discharge.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Here’s some light Thursday pregame prep, with head-to-head history and B-sides to set Week 7 off right.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
An illustration of the grassroots mentality that drives the 41-year-old Barham came on one weekend in late August when Aquarium headlined a show in Memphis at the 400-capacity Hi-Tone on a Friday, then made the eight-hour, 550-mile drive to Waco, Texas, overnight.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
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As is often the case with everything surrounding Swift’s name, the T-shirt featuring a graphic illustration of otters went viral on social media.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
From Spike Lee’s School Daze to the rhythmic brilliance of Drumline and the intensity of Burning Sands, these stories highlight the laughter, love, and lessons that make college life unforgettable.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
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Thailand is brimming with exceptional storytellers and untapped creative brilliance.—
Sara Merican,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illumination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumination. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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