illumined 1 of 2

adjective

as in illuminated
filled with much light illumined display windows in the street's many shops add much to the holiday glow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

illumined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of illumine
1
as in lit
to supply with light small table lamps illumine the inn's dining room in a most romantic way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in educated
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 illumined
Adjective
The backdrop is brightly illumined screens that hurt your eyes. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumined
  1. illuminated
  2. lit
  3. educated
  4. light
  5. brightened
  6. inspired
  7. bright
Adjective
  • Some beauty tools signal their operation through illuminated controls, screens or vibration.
    — Advertorial, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • It is displayed on a large-scale illuminated sign during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on March 4, 2026.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of illuminated
Verb
  • Inside, the lobby is dimly lit in soothing lavender and blue and house music is piped in by surround sound.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Office of President Herzog At the president’s residence in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog and first lady Michal Herzog lit a memorial candle to open the day’s commemorative events.
    — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of lit
Verb
  • In keeping with royal tradition, the young Duke of Kent was educated at Ludgrove (also attended by Prince William and Prince Harry), then Eton and later Le Rosey in Switzerland.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
  • On campus, students are educated on the importance of not touching or feeding the donkeys, which weigh about 500 pounds and can charge at humans when feeling threatened.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of educated
Adjective
  • The men’s denim jacket reworks a classic trucker silhouette in a light wash, while the women’s denim vest is finished with a silver foil coating.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The chicken’s accompaniment of roasted and pickled vegetables provided a light, pleasant contrast to the meat.
    — Julia Wytrazek, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • The green is equally luscious in texture, made with chicken thigh and skin, but intensely herbaceous, brightened with parsley, cilantro, poblano and jalapeño.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In its latest incarnation, designed by the firm S9, the curtain wall has darkened and the electronic billboards brightened, so that the tower resembles a TV mount, more apparatus than architecture.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of brightened
Verb
  • The Girls was loosely inspired by the 1969 Manson family murders.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • According to the designers, its overall appearance is inspired by architectural luminary Frank Lloyd Wright.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of inspired
Adjective
  • Le is particularly fond of the store’s Thai green bananas, which remain bright green even when fully ripe and develop an intensely sweet flavor.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Leaning into its history, Kessler has outfitted the hotel with installations that channel the Jurassic period, including life size dinosaur skeletons and fossils, backlit in a range of bright colors, displayed throughout the walls.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of bright

Browse Nearby Words

illumine
illumined
illumines
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illumined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumined. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All