illuminati

[ ih-loo-muh-nah-tee, -ney-tahy ]

plural noun

, singular il·lu·mi·na·to [ih-loo-m, uh, -, nah, -toh, -, ney, -].

1. persons possessing, or claiming to possess, superior enlightenment.
2. (initial capital letter) a name given to different religious societies or sects because of their claim to superior enlightenment.

illuminati

¹

/ ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːtiː /

plural noun

1. a group of persons claiming exceptional enlightenment on some subject, esp religion

Illuminati

²

/ ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːtiː /

plural noun

1. any of several groups of illuminati, esp in 18th-century France
2. a group of religious enthusiasts of 16th-century Spain who were persecuted by the Inquisition
3. a masonic sect founded in Bavaria in 1778 claiming that the illuminating grace of Christ resided in it alone
4. a rare name for the Rosicrucians

Word History and Origins

Origin of illuminati¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin illūminātī, plural of illūminātus “enlightened”; illuminate

Word History and Origins

Origin of illuminati¹

C16: from Latin, literally: the enlightened ones, from illūmināre to illuminate

Example Sentences

Following the earlier arrest at Buckingham Palace he spoke about the "illuminati" running the world.

From BBC

Coull, of Anniesland in Glasgow, who ran the event through his House of Illuminati firm, was accused of “scamming children” by parents outside the event.

From BBC

That presents an unfortunate contrast to the present, when the Washington Post, the daily diary of the Beltway illuminati, has now published an opinion piece by a seemingly reputable historian vindicating by implication the America First argument with a lot of hypothetical what-ifs, and whitewashing the movement’s most prominent advocate, Charles Lindbergh.

From Salon

“It worked for classic conspiracies like the JFK assassination and moon landing hoaxes and Illuminati, stuff like that. And it also worked for modern, more politicized conspiracies like those involving 2020 election fraud or COVID-19.”

From Los Angeles Times

Richard is more forgiving of House of Illuminati, the organisation behind the Glasgow event.

From BBC