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
As anxiety has mounted about depressed entry-level hiring, with Gen Z crowds even booing luminaries such as Eric Schmidt amid commencement speeches touting AI, Dimon has given warm but blunt advice to ambitious young workers.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Not only is it located in the vibrant neighborhood of Saint-Georges, which has long been home to artistic luminaries including Charles Baudelaire, George Sand, James Joyce, and Victor Hugo, but the apartment building itself was once home to French literary icon Guy de Maupassant.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
The state counts GRiZ, CloZee, Mersiv and Pretty Lights as residents — among other EDM luminaries who visit, work and tour here.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Rai worked at India Today for about ten years, shooting luminaries such as Mother Teresa, the director Satyajit Ray, and the Dalai Lama, who remained a friend for decades.
—Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
Some of the hotel’s earliest visitors included such luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Henry Matisse, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Josephine Baker.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
View this post on Instagram Tributes from hip-hop luminaries poured in after Rob's death was announced.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 22 May 2026
The collaborators list on Los Locos Nunca Mueren is full of música mexicana luminaries, including Luis R Conriquez, Oscar Maydon, and, of course, Fuerza Regida.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2026
Over 600 people attended the wedding weekend, including other Hollywood luminaries like Cary Grant and Ava Gardner.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Not only is it located in the vibrant neighborhood of Saint-Georges, which has long been home to artistic luminaries including Charles Baudelaire, George Sand, James Joyce, and Victor Hugo, but the apartment building itself was once home to French literary icon Guy de Maupassant.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
The state counts GRiZ, CloZee, Mersiv and Pretty Lights as residents — among other EDM luminaries who visit, work and tour here.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Rai worked at India Today for about ten years, shooting luminaries such as Mother Teresa, the director Satyajit Ray, and the Dalai Lama, who remained a friend for decades.
—Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
Some of the hotel’s earliest visitors included such luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Henry Matisse, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Josephine Baker.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
View this post on Instagram Tributes from hip-hop luminaries poured in after Rob's death was announced.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 22 May 2026
The collaborators list on Los Locos Nunca Mueren is full of música mexicana luminaries, including Luis R Conriquez, Oscar Maydon, and, of course, Fuerza Regida.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2026
Over 600 people attended the wedding weekend, including other Hollywood luminaries like Cary Grant and Ava Gardner.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
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At the time, the former HSMTMTS stars had been broken up for a while, and Bassett moved on with Carpenter.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
Statham is one of the world’s most successful action stars, with a global box office surpassing $8 billion across his career with such major franchises as The Meg, Fast & Furious, and The Beekeeper under hie belt.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Add our favorite white pants to your cart, then keep scrolling for more stylish picks inspired by celebrities.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Scientists can draw on it to identify and study 100,000 exoplanets, hundreds of millions of galaxies, billions of stars, and rare objects and phenomena — including some that astronomers have never witnessed before.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
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The gravitational effects of the two galaxies’ proximity are already being observed.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Those keen on his appointment may well hope his approach to managing the squad’s difficult personalities can unlock a more effective way of motivating Madrid’s galacticos to put in the hard yards.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
One by one, many of the network’s most prominent on-air personalities have made their displeasure known, sinking morale among the rank-and-file and prompting leaks and internal frustration.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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His broad network of advisers includes many prominent figures, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, investor Stanley Druckenmiller, and Chevron CEO Mike Wirth, all of whom appeared at his swearing-in last month at the White House.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
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Altogether, Russia fired 656 drones and 73 missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian Air Force figures, which said the vast bulk of the drones and just over half of the missiles were shot down.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The company has benefited from the buildout of AI infrastructure as data centers demand greater networking capacity to move information between increasingly powerful computing clusters.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
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The numerous bright red dots strewn around M88’s spiral arms are old stars, while the pink and blue represent star clusters and dust clouds.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 May 2026
Noun
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The backstory Once the late real estate billionaire Douy Steyn’s family home, this sprawling property became a hotel in 2000 and has hosted some of the world’s top dignitaries.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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In the 16th and 17th centuries, when Genoa was at its financial peak as a seafaring republic, these typically Baroque palazzi, owned by the city’s elites, were chosen by the government to host visiting dignitaries.—
Catherine Sabino,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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