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

(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

Synonyms

• 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

Unlike some products that promise glow-in-the-dark illumination that barely shows, our testers found that the Takeya Actives Kids Water Bottle fully delivered on its promise. —Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025

Turquoise underwater illumination, my favorite kind of light. —Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025

In lab experiments simulating mesospheric air pressure and illumination, the researchers showed that their devices could float passively, without any power source. —Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025

Each pixel on the display is an LED, which assists in an even spread of illumination for a sharp image. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

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