LUMINARIES Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

luminaries

noun

plural of luminary

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

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

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 luminaries Fashion world luminaries were also honored, including Tory Burch, Linda Fargo, Peter Marino, Susan Cianciolo, and Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 While mingling among guests at the cocktail hour, Mamdani, who did indeed put on a tux for the occasion, posed for photos with First Lady Rama Duwaji and luminaries, such as collector Bernard Lumpkin and the artist Rashid Johnson. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026 With the passing of Walter Koenig at the age of 90 this past week, franchise luminaries of all degrees are coming out with heartfelt condolences, kind words of remembrance, and tearful reflections. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2026 There are some luminaries as well, but you’re never really told who’s speaking on the soundtrack. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Meet our expert editors in person and get up close to the action with live cooking demos, hands-on classes, and panel conversations with culinary world luminaries. — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2026 Politicians, film-industry luminaries, and even the royal family that owns the fort, have been known to drop by for a night. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026 Nominated for five Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the film compiles footage William Greaves shot in 1972 of a gathering of Harlem Renaissance luminaries at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026 In 1972, William Greaves brought together an extraordinary gathering of surviving artists, writers, and cultural luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an afternoon of debate, reflection, laughter, and exchange. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries

Noun

The two tied the knot in July 2010 in a New York ceremony with hundreds of guests, among them sports and entertainment stars including LeBron James, Spike Lee, Serena Williams, Ciara, Kim Kardashian and Ludacris, The Times reported.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
While two of the three semifinalists had a base camp here, and international stars like Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham lived in Kansas City, the biggest story arguably was what happened west of town.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of stars

Noun

Amid the movie’s disastrous box office run, various Hollywood celebrities rallied around Cruise and the movie.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
On the wall outside Shoukhrat Mitalipov’s laboratory at Oregon Health & Science University, visitors are greeted by framed portraits of furry scientific celebrities.

— Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of celebrities

Noun

The team is now collaborating with NASA to investigate whether the approach could help analyse light from distant galaxies.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
However, as the universe cooled and expanded, these sites became the building blocks of far less chaotic galaxies.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of galaxies

Noun

Magnet Originals will provide advice and production support for media personalities, including Justin Tranter, Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, and former NBA star Byron Scott.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
From decorating the tree and baking cookies to Champagne toasts and Rinna dancing atop the dining table, the family brings their personalities to a series of festive moments, all dressed in Express.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of personalities

Noun

The artist’s overall artistic language focuses on joy, which is brought to life with its gift boxes featuring luminous gold suns and sparkling silver stars throughout.

— Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
So far, astronomers have not detected any stupendously large black holes — currently, the largest black hole known may weigh about 36 billion suns.

— Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of suns

Noun

There will be nonstop panels on TV and livestreams, analysts repeating analysis of days-old polls, and — come afternoon — figures from exit polls suggesting that Hispanics are voting in large numbers, or that the economy is a major issue.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
In fact, only 33 colleges and universities in the country admit 10% or fewer of their undergraduate applicants, NACAC figures show.

— Jon Marcus, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of figures

Noun

Two other large, bright open star clusters in this region that look great in 10x50 binoculars are the glittering stars of NGC 752 in Andromeda and M34, a bright, hazy patch in Perseus.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Talks for arrangements that would see Moonshot rent access to clusters of 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs hosted in the region have taken place, one source said.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of clusters

Noun

But when the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair and other dignitaries gathered at Westminster Abbey for a service of commemoration, the proceedings were interrupted by a Black man wearing a dashiki.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Yarbrough, who died at age 76 on Saturday, would be stationed at the table throughout the GHSA playoffs, sometimes welcoming guests and dignitaries and otherwise answering questions and solving problems.

— Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dignitaries

Browse Nearby Words

luminance

luminaries

luminary

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of luminaries

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes