Illuminating

//ɪˈl(j)uːmɪneɪtɪŋ// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of illuminate. form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
  1. 1
    Providing illumination or light.
  2. 2
    Providing clarification or explanation; educational, revealing. figuratively

    "An illuminating article in a recent issue of the Eastern Region's Civil Engineering News points out that where coal is worked over a reasonably large area, it is not only the whole of the strata above the workings, but also an area beyond which is liable to subside at varying rates after the coal has been removed."

Adjective
  1. 1
    tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
clarifyingexplanatoryalightallegorizingannotativeautodidactic

Example

More examples

"The planets and the stars insist on illuminating eager minds, being a guide among the darkness."

Etymology

From illuminate + -ing.

Related phrases

illuminating gasilluminating oil

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.