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View synonyms for illustrate

illustrate

[ il-uh-streyt, ih-luhs-treyt ]

verb (used with object)

, il·lus·trat·ed, il·lus·trat·ing.
  1. to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.
  2. to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
  3. Archaic. to enlighten.


verb (used without object)

, il·lus·trat·ed, il·lus·trat·ing.
  1. to clarify one's words, writings, etc., with examples:

    To prevent misunderstandings, let me illustrate.

illustrate

/ ˈɪləˌstreɪt /

verb

  1. to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
  2. tr to be an example or demonstration of
  3. tr to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
  4. tr an archaic word for enlighten
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈillusˌtratable, adjective
  • ˈillusˌtrative, adjective
  • ˈillusˌtratively, adverb
  • ˈillusˌtrator, noun
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Other Words From

  • illus·trata·ble adjective
  • over·illus·trate verb (used with object) overillustrated overillustrating
  • pre·illus·trate verb (used with object) preillustrated preillustrating
  • re·illus·trate verb (used with object) reillustrated reillustrating
  • super·illus·trate verb (used with object) superillustrated superillustrating
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Word History and Origins

Origin of illustrate1

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin illustrātus, past participle of illustrāre “to illuminate, make clear, give glory to”; il- 1, luster 1, -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of illustrate1

C16: from Latin illustrāre to make light, explain, from lustrāre to purify, brighten; see lustrum
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Example Sentences

Now, that last question illustrated the potential downside of asking sensitive questions.

That illustrates just how much the creative development process has changed and how much can be achieved asynchronously, he added.

From Digiday

When talking about soundscapes, print articles can only do so much to illustrate the issue.

From Time

According to Mackinac, the example Overton often used to illustrate the window’s movement is the changed public perception of school choice.

Business needs to work in conjunction with government because, as the pandemic has illustrated all too clearly, when it comes to a global crisis, they depend on governments with their powers of monetary creation and taxation to bail them out.

From Time

This video, courtesy of BuzzFeed, helps to illustrate this phenomenon.

This is likely a lowball number but it has the merit to illustrate the tradeoff that raising the minimum wage requires.

And as the above mentioned clips illustrate, Sesame Street is really good at staying relevant.

His maquettes, or models, illustrate this, too, in their budding materiality.

As if to illustrate the rampant sexism that still exists, hackers threatened to release nude photos of her after her speech.

Let me illustrate: Last week, month, or year you saw a military procession pass along the streets.

Nothing can more clearly illustrate Napoleon's dictum, "A la guerre les hommes ne sont rien, c'est un homme qui est tout."

He paused, and to illustrate the imperious humor of the Scot, he waved his fingers and a red wrister at me.

A few notes will serve to illustrate the chief subjects for care and some important items in fitting instruments properly.

It is enjoined in statutes of perpetual moral obligation, that illustrate the ten precepts of the law.

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