1
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
a favorite line of an Eastern Church hymn reads, "through fast-closed doors Thou camest Thy Disciples to illume"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to illumine
to supply with light
during the vigil service the church's Gothic interior was illumed by the light of hundreds of tapers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illume
Verb
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His agent, a Ghanaian called Alex Quaye, was a banker by profession, having been educated in the United States at the University of Charleston.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026 -
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.—
Tessa Hadley,
New Yorker,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Thomas Tuchel was appointed with the simple task of coaching England to a World Cup win, and England showed early signs of his tactical acumen, but also his ability to inspire his players.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
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Serving East African street food inspired by husband-and-wife owners Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere’s native Burundi, Waka delivers African flavors in small bites.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Math illuminates how traffic flows, how our cells build proteins and even how to speed up medical imaging scans.—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
14 June 2026
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It should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open, but can be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated at night, the flag code said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Plus, tribal council is dark — there aren’t big lights, it’s only lit by fire.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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After more talk of intimate moments that occurred during the shoot, and a few anecdotes about nipples, Shaver then redirected the conversation, lighting things up in her characteristic way.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Illume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illume. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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