illuminating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- illuminatingly adverb
- nonilluminating adjective
- nonilluminatingly adverb
- unilluminating adjective
Etymology
Origin of illuminating
First recorded in 1555–65; illuminat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's illuminating makes you better informed, more aware, or more inspired. An illuminating documentary film gives you all kinds of new information about its subject. Describe things as illuminating when they clarify the situation or explain the facts. A long conversation with someone you don't know well can be illuminating, helping you understand her much better. Likewise, studying the details of any subject, whether it's dog training or art history, is also illuminating. The verb illuminate means "light up," and it comes from the Latin word illuminare, "to throw into light or make bright," which is also figuratively used to mean "illustrate."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another image showed flames erupting from a ground-mounted engine, illuminating the surrounding test site in orange light.
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing a new way to determine which cancer patients are most likely to benefit from targeted therapies by illuminating tumors in medical scans.
From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026
The subject line of your email, to play therapist for a moment, was illuminating and revealed the heart of your conundrum.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
These events aren’t illuminating and feel instead like a bleak betrayal.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
Here, the results of recent molecular biological studies are illuminating in linking germs to the rise of food production, in Eurasia much more than in the Americas.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
