illumine

verb

i-ˈlü-mən How to pronounce illumine (audio)
Definition of illuminenext
1
as in to illuminate
to supply with light small table lamps illumine the inn's dining room in a most romantic way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding readers of great literature are both entertained and illumined

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illumine 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, 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 The bar was illumined by candles and an uplit line of mostly esoteric liquors along the full-length mirror against the back wall. — Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024 In a room illumined by the light of a few candles, a group of women with veils over their faces conducts a séance. — Rhoda Feng, ARTnews.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumine
  1. illuminate
  2. educate
  3. light
  4. inspire
  5. brighten
Verb
  • The ceilings were arched and line with skylights, allowing natural light to illuminate the space.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026
  • At night the entire thing is illuminated with over 6,000 programmable white LEDs.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of illuminate
Verb
  • This summer, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office deputies have also pulled over teens for driving e-bikes and e-motorcycles recklessly, but also to educate teens on driving responsibly and the rules of the road.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As during the first Taliban regime in the 1990s, women activists have organized underground schools to educate girls denied access to formal classrooms.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of educate
Verb
  • Hal is arrested, per his plan, as John meets and sleeps with a mysterious woman, Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), and uses Hal’s ring to light her cigarette after the fact.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But his appointment also lit a fire among a group of academics - and others - who believe Cambridge and other universities and public bodies are striving too hard to increase their diversity.
    — Rupert Neate, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • My intent was to inspire him to think about how family events are really important.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And with The Odyssey putting Homer's world back into the pop-culture spotlight, travelers inspired to plan their own Greek adventure now have one more reason to look beyond the islands.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of inspire
Verb
  • It’s formulated with niacinamide to brighten your complexion, panthenol to restore your skin’s barrier, and peptides to firm and smooth visible signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026
  • My whole life, my father had brightened at the sight of me, laughed at my jokes, and advised my brother, three years younger, to follow my example.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brighten

Browse Nearby Words

illuminative
illumine
illumined
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illumine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumine. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All