Meaning & use
illuminate
To light up a place or object, or to make something clearer and easier to understand.
See it in a sentence
Hundreds of candles illuminated the cathedral during the evening service.
Her explanation helped illuminate the complicated tax rules for the new employees.
A note on using this word
Illuminate works both literally, for physical light, and figuratively, for making an idea or situation clearer.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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