1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

illumining

verb

present participle of illumine
1
as in illuminating
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 educating
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for illumining
  1. illuminating
  2. educating
  3. lighting
  4. inspiring
  5. brightening
Verb
  • Grabbing a true self-illuminating OLED gaming monitor with 1440p resolution and sub-millisecond response times for under $400 is an absolute steal.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Thousands had come to watch that night and marvel at the temporary lights illuminating the field.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of illuminating
Verb
  • The council continues to be an affiliate of ISNA, advising and educating its members and officials on matters related to the application of Sharia law.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2026
  • It will be led by NASA, and one of its core functions will be educating future scientists, engineers and astronauts, as well as warfighters.
    — Julian Dossett, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of educating
Verb
  • Hundreds of others were there lighting small squat candles in their cedar-plank lanterns.
    — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Members of the Aurora Emergency Management Agency assisted with traffic control and scene lighting throughout the investigation.
    — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of lighting
Verb
  • There's just a relentless kind of dynamo energy here that's inspiring to be around.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • His passion for fostering the community was inspiring and sticks with me.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of inspiring
Verb
  • That’s why this skin tint, which has hydrating squalane along with brightening vitamin C and SPF for sun protection made my list.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Crepe Control® Tightening Body Cream is a transforming treatment packed with peptides plus lifting and brightening agents to visibly tighten and even skin tone.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of brightening
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.

Browse Nearby Words

illuming
illumining
ill-usage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illumining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illumining. Accessed 29 Sep. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

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 the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All