illuminating

adjective il·lu·mi·nat·ing \ i-ˈlü-mə-ˌnā-tiŋ \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Definition of illuminating

: providing insight, clarity, or understanding : highly informative

an illuminating remark/discussion

… much of the information is quite illuminating …
—Glenn Kenny

—

illuminatingly

adverb

Recent Examples of illuminating from the Web

The Dead Kennedys and a San Diego group called the Dinettes are pictured performing onstage, but the most illuminating photos are of the random fans attending the shows.

— peter hartlaub, SFChronicle.com, "Lost SF punk rock photos surface: Temple Beautiful, Mabuhay and Deaf Club," 15 June 2018
But the correspondences between the play and our politics prove to be, sadly, mutually illuminating.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "In 'Tyrant,' Harvard professor Stephen Greenblatt turns to Shakespeare for answers to Trump," 22 May 2018
Other than the trends, the clues aren’t terribly illuminating.

— anthony r. wood, Philly.com, "Suddenly it's summer; Philly sets record with high of 91. But spring is coming, honest," 3 May 2018
The significance of designing with An illuminating talk hosted by Inclusive Collective founder Liz Jackson made the case for designing with, as opposed to merely designing for, people with disability.

— jenny xie, Curbed, "All the NYCxDesign 2018 highlights you should know," 30 May 2018
The songs and poems featured on the album take the listener on an illuminating journey from the trails to the rails of the Old West.

— roger catlin, Smithsonian, "Songster Dom Flemons Brings Back the Melodies of the Black Cowboy," 30 May 2018
The show's sophomore endeavor filled in the gaps of Hannah's (Katherine Langford) season 1 story, with illuminating reveals about characters like Zach (Ross Butler), Justin (Brandon Flynn), and even protagonist Clay (Dylan Minnette).

— refinery29.com, "Every Question We Still Have After Season 2 Of 13 Reasons Why," 29 May 2018
The illuminating biological sensors are paired with low-power microelectronics within the pill.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "This capsule of glowing E. coli will probe your gut for signs of trouble," 25 May 2018
The process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Michelle Obama reveals the cover of her upcoming memoir, 'Becoming' | The Kansas City Star," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'illuminating.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.