illumination

noun il·lu·mi·na·tion \ i-ˌlü-mə-ˈnā-shən \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of illumination

1 : the action of illuminating or state of being illuminated: such as

a : spiritual or intellectual enlightenment

b (1) : a lighting up

(2) : decorative lighting or lighting effects

c : decoration by the art of illuminating

2 : the luminous flux per unit area on an intercepting surface at any given point

3 : one of the decorative features used in the art of illuminating or in decorative lighting

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Examples of illumination in a Sentence

When taking photographs indoors, use a flash for illumination.
They traveled to the temple in search of spiritual illumination.
an old manuscript with beautiful illuminations

Recent Examples of illumination from the Web

Besides featuring all sorts of illumination, the parade will include the Frederick Douglass High School Marching Band, the New Baltimore Twilighters, 901 Arts Drum Line and Bateria Terra Maria, plus stilt walkers, the Cristo Rey Step Team and more.

— chris kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "10 things you don't want to miss at Light City 2018," 10 Apr. 2018
Addiction, in her mind, was something that enabled great writing, bringing illumination with intoxication, clarity with alcoholic cloud.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Writing and Alcohol: A Reckoning," 6 Apr. 2018
Pixar-style Anglepoise lamps -- including a giant one hiding in the back room -- provide illumination and another dash of mod flair.

— michael russell, OregonLive.com, "Nostrana chef Cathy Whims is opening a Euro-style wine bar, and it's gorgeous," 5 Apr. 2018
Still, 250 feet is more than 4 seconds of illumination for a car driving 38 miles per hour.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Police chief said Uber victim “came from the shadows”—don’t believe it," 23 Mar. 2018
Ditto the Jeepster concept’s quadrant of LED running lights, which are mounted to the front bumper and A-pillars and are said to put out 8000 lumens of illumination.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "Jeep’s Jeepster Concept Is a New Wrangler JL with 1960s Retro Style," 20 Mar. 2018
Initial amusement transforms into something closer to illumination.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "Artist Olafur Eliasson built a 'Reality projector' of smashing beauty," 2 Mar. 2018
The references to illumination are of the moon, quite literally, with a round, orangey orb rising on the upstage scrim throughout the work's 25 minutes.

— lauren warnecke, chicagotribune.com, "In rare performance, choreographer Doug Varone takes to stage along with his dancers at Columbia," 9 Feb. 2018
The only illumination was from the journalists’ headlights.

— karan mahajan, The New Republic, "After the Strongman," 26 Mar. 2018

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