illumination

noun

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

1

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

a

: spiritual or intellectual enlightenment

b(1)

: a lighting up

the illumination of the room

(2)

: decorative lighting or lighting effects

c

: decoration by the art of illuminating

a medieval manuscript with magnificent illumination

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

Synonyms of illumination

• explanation
• interpretation
• illustration

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 on the Web

Obstacle avoidance is critical, as is collecting visual data of plant health and lighting conditions (natural and artificial LED illumination) for correlations over time, to improve yield. —Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Inside, a string of skylights will provide almost all the natural illumination the library would ever need, held up by walls made solely of compressed earth. —Lee Cowan, CBS News, 21 June 2026

The two Harpa shows were especially spellbinding, especially an ensemble performance of music from her recent album Where to From, bathed in otherworldly illumination by lighting designer Theresa Baumgartner. —Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2026

Julia Newman, principal and founder of Julia Adele Design, recommends choosing bulbs around 2700K, which create a softer, more flattering illumination. —Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 14 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English illumynacioun, borrowed from Medieval Latin illūminātiōn-, illūminātiō, going back to Latin, "illustriousness," from illūmināre "to give light to, illuminate entry 1" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for illumination

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

illumination

noun

il·​lu·​mi·​na·​tion il-ˌü-mə-ˈnā-shən 

1

a

: the action of illuminating or state of being illuminated

b

: amount of light

2

: gold or colored decoration in a manuscript

Medical Definition

illumination

noun

il·​lu·​mi·​na·​tion il-ˌü-mə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the action of supplying or brightening with light or the resulting state

2

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

called also illuminance

illuminate

il-ˈü-mə-ˌnāt 

transitive verb

illuminated; illuminating