illuminate | Definition of illuminate

1 to supply with light

a floor lamp illuminates a living room rather nicely

Synonyms of illuminate

bathe, beacon, emblaze, illume, illumine, irradiate, light, lighten

Words Related to illuminate

brighten

beam, beat (down), radiate, shine

enhalo, halo

floodlight

highlight, spotlight

blaze, burn, fire, flame, glare, glow, ignite, incinerate, kindle

bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle

gleam, glisten, glitter

Near Antonyms of illuminate

dim, dull, obscure

cover, shroud, veil

douse (also dowse), extinguish, put out, quench, snuff (out)

Antonyms of illuminate

blacken, darken, obfuscate

2 to make plain or understandable

the museum's exhibit on the refraction of light really illuminated the subject for us

Synonyms of illuminate

clarify, clear (up), construe, demonstrate, demystify, elucidate, explain, explicate, expound, get across, illustrate, interpret, simplify, spell out, unriddle

Words Related to illuminate

decipher, decode

analyze, break down

disentangle, undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle

resolve, solve

define, specify

annotate, commentate, gloss

Near Antonyms of illuminate

befog, cloud

confound, confuse, obfuscate

Antonyms of illuminate

obscure

3 to supplement with pictorial matter for the purpose of explanation or decoration

no one knows for sure the identity of the artist who illuminated that medieval manuscript so beautifully

Synonyms of illuminate

illustrate, pictorialize

Words Related to illuminate

image, picture, visualize

4 to indicate the importance of by centering attention on

the results of the statewide testing illuminated the need to place more focus on instruction in math and science

Synonyms of illuminate

accent, accentuate, emphasize, feature, foreground, highlight, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, stress

Words Related to illuminate

focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight

advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize

overplay

Phrases Synonymous with illuminate

bear down on, make much of

Near Antonyms of illuminate

tone (down), underemphasize, understate

belittle, discount, disparage, minimize

Antonyms of illuminate

de-emphasize, play down

5 to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding

how man is illuminated by a higher spirit

Synonyms of illuminate

edify, educate, enlighten, illume, illumine, inspire, nurture

Words Related to illuminate

elevate, ennoble, enrich, ensoul, lift, uplift

better, improve, regenerate, renew, transform

exalt, glorify, transfigure

Near Antonyms of illuminate

confuse, perplex, puzzle

becloud, cloud, darken, obscure

Synonyms and Antonyms of illuminate

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