1
as in stars
a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body that shines by its own light
awed by the vast number of luminaries in the night sky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
luminaries from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and politics were at the gala
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of luminaries
Braxton was chosen by this year’s Medal selection panel, chaired by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey and compromising of luminaries of the arts world.
—
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is in the central chamber of the governor’s room of City Hall, a quarter that features a desk once used by George Washington, and which hosted luminaries including Albert Einstein.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Their set lists were filled with covers of songs written and performed by Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and other Black blues luminaries.
—Steve Bloom, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
The president has instead shifted focus to a July 4 rally featuring luminaries like country singer Lee Greenwood, tenor Christopher Macchio and, naturally, himself.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2026
The film, which includes interviews with King, her wife Ilana Kloss, tennis luminaries including Chris Evert, and King’s friend Elton John, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 10 June 2026
When the national anthem played just before tip-off, the jumbotron inside the arena flashed to the president, standing in his suite alongside MAGA luminaries including Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and Dan Scavino.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026
Some of the game’s luminaries, such as Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Coco Gauff, have backed Sabalenka’s stance.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 9 June 2026
Science luminaries including Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Carl Sagan once peered through the vintage telescopes housed in the domed observatory towers.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is in the central chamber of the governor’s room of City Hall, a quarter that features a desk once used by George Washington, and which hosted luminaries including Albert Einstein.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Their set lists were filled with covers of songs written and performed by Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and other Black blues luminaries.
—Steve Bloom, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
The president has instead shifted focus to a July 4 rally featuring luminaries like country singer Lee Greenwood, tenor Christopher Macchio and, naturally, himself.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2026
The film, which includes interviews with King, her wife Ilana Kloss, tennis luminaries including Chris Evert, and King’s friend Elton John, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 10 June 2026
When the national anthem played just before tip-off, the jumbotron inside the arena flashed to the president, standing in his suite alongside MAGA luminaries including Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and Dan Scavino.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026
Some of the game’s luminaries, such as Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Coco Gauff, have backed Sabalenka’s stance.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 9 June 2026
Science luminaries including Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Carl Sagan once peered through the vintage telescopes housed in the domed observatory towers.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
-
Keith hailed from Tennessee and worked with music’s biggest stars, including Beyoncé and Drake.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
-
Angel Reese with Reebok, Breanna Stewart with Puma, Sabrina Ionescu with Nike and A’ja Wilson with Nike are the other active WNBA stars with signature sneakers.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
There were 3,000 people on the plaza at the June 18 Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony, with almost too many celebrities to count.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
While celebrities tend to promote their upcoming projects, at its core, the show is a lighthearted conversation that has inspired viral memes and GIFs.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
This team decided to test the gravitational influence of dark matter at the hearts of galaxies, environments dominated by supermassive black holes which can have masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
20 June 2026
-
The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The Best Cruises For Every Traveler Cruise lines have distinct personalities, so picking the right cruise line is the first step to finding the right cruise.—
Scott Laird,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
What makes the show defy expectations, though, is the aw-shucks personalities of the young British duo at its core, improbably named Richard Young and Sam Strange.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The results reveal jets carrying energy equal to around 10,000 suns while moving at nearly half the speed of light, offering one of the clearest views yet of how black holes pump energy back into the universe.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
Along my walkway and all over my neighborhood, nasturtium flowers are opening like bright orange suns, fragrant lavender is attracting buzzing bees, and rosemary bushes are beginning to brighten with baby blue flowers.—
Senior Food Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Its worse-sounding homicide figures are due to the ratio of deaths in a tiny population of less than a million people.—
Daniel Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
-
Cropped tops are flattering on petite figures, so this sleeveless top will look amazing on you.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
This medium-sized, rounded tree is appreciated for its fragrant white flower clusters in mid-to-late spring and year-round features.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
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The first chapter of the AI investment cycle — the infrastructure buildout of GPU clusters, data centers, and networking fabric that drove NVIDIA's stock up several hundred percent and established the semiconductor complex as one of the decade's defining trades — is not over.—
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
By November, Smith was crisscrossing the African continent with a small team of negotiators, trying to persuade dignitaries to agree to deals.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
17 June 2026
-
But travelling by private jet is reserved for heads of state and international dignitaries, with this cost being fronted by host committees.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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