ILLUMINE Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

illumine

verb

i-ˈlü-mən

Definition of illumine

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

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

Verb

The Pitt follows a group of doctors in a teaching hospital’s emergency room, and each episode roughly tracks one hour of their shift, all while illuminating the American healthcare system’s shortfalls.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
As news of Mackie’s death spread, friends and fans are remembering a kindhearted and joyful man whose designs illuminated some of the world’s biggest stars on both stage and screen.

— Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of illuminate

Verb

Other universities may have a medical school to graduate physicians, or a school of nursing, or a program to educate pharmacists.

— Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
In his view, Party operatives, who tend to be young, coastal, and college-educated, put their own policy preferences ahead of the median voter, who is a white fiftysomething with a high-school education living in the suburbs.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of educate

Verb

This was partly inspired by the club’s latest investigations into apparent ‘ticket-touting’, when 1,149 fan accounts were banned, and more were threatened with having their season tickets revoked.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The grounds pass concept was inspired by the fan-friendly atmosphere highlights at the US Openin New York City.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of inspire

Browse Nearby Words

illuminative

illumine

illumined

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Illumine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumine. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of illumine

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

volition

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes