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
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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
Rivera, who met Goldberg at a dinner with his manager five years ago, ran with the idea, placing a cast of Puerto Rican luminaries in the famous rowboat alongside Bad Bunny — who is draped in the Puerto Rican flag and standing in Washington’s place.
—
Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and a cast of other soon-to-be luminaries were part of the Toronto company, and Second City had rapidly become a popular nightspot.
—Lynn Hirschberg, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
O'Hara began her career in improv writing and performing with the famous Second City troupe in Toronto, SCTV, alongside other luminaries like John Candy and Gilda Radner.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 30 Jan. 2026
As far as documentaries on celebrities and luminaries go, Melania avoids major revelations, instead favoring a glimpse of a brief moment in time and lightly touching on the issues that intersect with her present role.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Hill, the former Fugees frontwoman, will honor both Flack and D’Angelo during her portion of the program dedicated to the music luminaries who passed within the last year.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2026
There has been great interest in Triet’s next project, with Hollywood luminaries reportedly queuing up for potential collaboration.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
Other fashion luminaries who have received the honor include Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
Behind-the-scenes luminaries set to receive awards at the event include songwriter Amy Allen, producers Alissia and Roselilah, recording and mix engineers Jayda Love and Bella Blasko, the writer-producer duo Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser, and audio company co-founder Betty Bennett.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and a cast of other soon-to-be luminaries were part of the Toronto company, and Second City had rapidly become a popular nightspot.
—Lynn Hirschberg, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
O'Hara began her career in improv writing and performing with the famous Second City troupe in Toronto, SCTV, alongside other luminaries like John Candy and Gilda Radner.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 30 Jan. 2026
As far as documentaries on celebrities and luminaries go, Melania avoids major revelations, instead favoring a glimpse of a brief moment in time and lightly touching on the issues that intersect with her present role.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Hill, the former Fugees frontwoman, will honor both Flack and D’Angelo during her portion of the program dedicated to the music luminaries who passed within the last year.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2026
There has been great interest in Triet’s next project, with Hollywood luminaries reportedly queuing up for potential collaboration.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
Other fashion luminaries who have received the honor include Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
Behind-the-scenes luminaries set to receive awards at the event include songwriter Amy Allen, producers Alissia and Roselilah, recording and mix engineers Jayda Love and Bella Blasko, the writer-producer duo Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser, and audio company co-founder Betty Bennett.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
-
The lowest-mass stars appear small, faint, red, and cool; the higher mass stars appear large, bright, blue, and hot.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Tokyo — In scenes normally reserved for J-pop stars, thousands of fans huddle against the cold outside a small train station on the outskirts of Tokyo, their phones held high for a glimpse of Japan’s latest obsession.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Among the celebrities who loved the post were award-winning singers Yolanda Adams and Melba Moore, actress Sharon Lawrence, celebrated dance choreographer Jamal Callender, and Access Hollywood co-host Scott Evans.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
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And just every single year, all ads are just all celebrities cashing in.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hence, physicists have inferred that galaxies are embedded with vast haloes of dark matter that extend far beyond their haloes of stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And this brings us to the second reason galaxies can still collide in an expanding universe.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Dogg was perhaps the most surprising among all the torchbearers, who included personalities from different industries, backgrounds, cultures — and continents.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
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In the years following his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Puth worked for DeGeneres' eleveneleven label, released a couple of promotional singles, and collaborated on other music, including jingles and theme songs for YouTube personalities.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bright star is so large that more than 400 million suns could fit inside of it.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The exhibit combines ultra-high-definition images taken by the James Webb Telescope with giant models of the planets and suns.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Francis is one of a growing number of Africans fighting for Russia in Ukraine, though exact figures are not known.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Front Page Highlights Materials released by the Justice Department revealed that leading business and political figures had enduring relationships with the disgraced financier.—
Nicholas Confessore Devlin Barrett Kurt Streeter Amy Qin,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
However, proto-clusters, or still-forming galaxy clusters, appear far earlier.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
2 Feb. 2026
-
To create the most impactful small flower bed, pinpoint a few key areas in your front yard and plant clusters of perennials rather than attempting to fill entire garden beds, says Janney.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 1984, Alex van Heeren took over the property and transformed it into a luxury lodge that welcomed rock stars and dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Atlanta government and business leaders want to present a welcoming environment for foreign dignitaries and international fans planning to descend upon the city this summer for the World Cup.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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