illuminating

adjective

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

: providing insight, clarity, or understanding : highly informative

an illuminating remark/discussion

… much of the information is quite illuminating …

—Glenn Kenny

illuminatingly adverb

Synonyms of illuminating

• instructive
• informative
• educational
• educative
• instructional
• informational

Examples of illuminating in a Sentence

the show is an illuminating tutorial on ways to prepare popular dishes using wholesome ingredients

Recent Examples on the Web

Thank you so much—really illuminating conversation. —Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

The season’s soft, golden light spills across galleries of glass and stone, illuminating interiors like living canvases. —Amplified Content Studio, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

Not merely decorative, the animations serve as an illuminating expansion of the subject’s vivid and distinctive worldview. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025

These two parts are juxtaposed with a third, the remarkable photo essay that runs the length of the book, in always fascinating, illuminating, at times devastating, relation to the prose. —Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of illuminate entry 1

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for illuminating

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating