illustrious

adjective il·lus·tri·ous \ i-ˈlə-strē-əs \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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Examples: illustrious in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of illustrious

1 : notably or brilliantly outstanding because of dignity or achievements or actions : eminent

2 archaic

a : shining brightly with light

b : clearly evident

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illustriously

adverb

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illustriousness

noun

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Examples of illustrious in a Sentence

He has had an illustrious military career.
an illustrious physicist who is a sure bet for a Nobel Prize

Recent Examples of illustrious from the Web

Advertisement Jessica Morse, a Democratic challenger of Tom McClintock, likes to detail an illustrious foreign policy career on the campaign trail.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Winning Democrat faces huge climb to unseat Tom McClintock in Congress," 6 June 2018
Bill had an illustrious career with Southern Bell (BellSouth) that spanned over thirty years.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 6/3," 3 June 2018
Jake Blalock won three baseball titles in his illustrious playing career at Rancho Bernardo before losing a fourth try in 2002.

— jim lindgren, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Old name leads new baseball champs at San Pasqual," 2 June 2018
In terms of mental preparation, 15-a-side rugby is a different beast to sevens -- something that Brian O'Driscoll, whose illustrious career spanned 141 test matches for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions, readily acknowledges.

— george ramsay, CNN, "Mind game: When rugby stars are 'too nervous to take the field'," 1 June 2018
Should Moonves and other CBS board members lose their case against the Redstones, his illustrious career could be over.

— meg james, latimes.com, "Judge hits pause on CBS-Redstone brawl, halting changes to CBS board," 16 May 2018
Hughes, who grew up training in Huntington Beach with legendary coach Bill Lovelace, developed a name for herself with an illustrious career Mater Dei High, followed by a record-setting run at USC.

— josh criswell, latimes.com, "International teams rule Huntington Beach Open," 7 May 2018
From the outset of planning, the anniversary celebration honored Ray’s illustrious operatic and concert career.

— mary johnson, baltimoresun.com, "Annapolis Opera's 30th vocal competition is tribute to local talent, and its legion of supporters," 2 May 2018
Coach Crocco has been blessed with many outstanding players during her illustrious 39-year tenure on the Cardinal Gibbons sideline.

— emmett hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lighthouse Point resident inducted into Cardinal Gibbons Athletic Hall of Fame," 28 Apr. 2018

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

Did You Know?

Illustrious people seem to light up everything around them. The etymology of illustrious makes it clear that a shining glow (both literal and figurative) has long been associated with the word. "Illustrious" ultimately derives from the Latin verb lustrare, which means "to purify" or "to make bright," and which is related to the noun that gave us "luster." At one time, "illustrious" was used in the literal sense of "shining brightly with light," but that meaning is now considered archaic. The word is now almost exclusively used in its figurative application to describe something that stands out brilliantly, much like a bright star stands out in the sky.

Origin and Etymology of illustrious

Latin illustris, probably from illustrare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1588

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

illustrious Synonyms

Synonyms

astral, bright, distinguished, eminent, luminous, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, redoubtable, signal, star, superior;

Near Antonyms

insignificant, minor, unimportant;

average, inferior, mediocre;

obscure, uncelebrated, unsung;

infamous, notorious;

dominant, paramount, predominant;

Synonym Discussion of illustrious

famous, renowned, celebrated, noted, notorious, distinguished, eminent, illustrious mean known far and wide. famous implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known.