illumination

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

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

See illumination defined for English-language learners

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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

Veritas created Excelitas by acquiring the former illumination and detection solutions business of scientific instruments maker PerkinElmer Inc. for about $500 million in 2010.

— reuters, Fortune, "Veritas Capital is Looking to Buy $3B Worth of Tech Companies," 25 Aug. 2017
The illumination on the par-3 11th green – the second playoff hole after 10 -- was provided by the headlights of four golf carts and spectators who helped the players see their balls.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Holy Headlights! U.S. Women's Am playoff finishes in dark," 8 Aug. 2017
This metastasizing illumination spells trouble for wildlife.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Confirmed: Night Lights Drive Pollinators Away From Plants," 7 Aug. 2017
As daylight nearly disappears, street lights and car headlights provide a helpful bit of illumination.

— mike giuliano, Howard County Times, "Ellicott City is ready for its portrait," 18 July 2017
With the rear seat flipped up, a fold-out flat floor stored under the seat provided a level area for longer items, with lights on the seat bottoms providing illumination.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Ram 1500 spruces up its good looks with special night edition crew cab," 14 July 2017
Many oceanographers hail the project as an illumination of a geological and biological world that is long overdue.

— kyle frischkorn, Smithsonian, "Why The First Complete Map of the Ocean Floor Is Stirring Controversial Waters," 13 July 2017
This process works because the collagen in the parchment fluoresces a soft blue color under near-ultraviolet illumination.

— ken krebs, Scientific American Blog Network, "Peering beneath the Surface of Ancient Manuscripts," 7 July 2017
Beyond mere illumination, moonlight has a major effect on Earth’s plants and animals, from when babies hatch to when predators go on the hunt.

— National Geographic, "Sex, Death, and Pollination: How the Moon Changes Life on Earth," 6 July 2017

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.