illumination

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The light that lets you see something, or the way a place is lit.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: the illumination was poor.

   Patterns

   • illumination of something

   The only illumination in the cellar came from one small window.

   Candles provided soft illumination for the dinner.

   Good illumination makes reading easier on the eyes.

2. 2noununcountablefigurative

   A clearer understanding of something that was confusing before.

   Grammar: Often with spiritual or intellectual insight: a moment of illumination.

   Patterns

   • a moment of illumination

   The lecture brought sudden illumination about how the economy works.

   She sought illumination through reading and prayer.

   His comments offered little illumination on the problem.

3. 3nouncountablespecialist

   Decorative painting, often with gold and bright colors, added to the pages of old handwritten books.

   Grammar: Often plural: the illuminations in the manuscript.

   The monk's illuminations framed every page with flowers and gold.

   The museum displays a medieval Bible with beautiful illuminations.

   Illumination of manuscripts took months of careful work.

4. 4nounusually pluralBritish

   Lights used as decoration, especially for a festival or public event.

   Grammar: Usually plural in British English: the Christmas illuminations.

   The seaside town switches on its illuminations every autumn.

   Crowds came to see the festival illuminations.

   The palace was ablaze with illuminations.

Word forms

Common combinations

soft illumination

Soft illumination made the room feel calm.

source of illumination

A torch was their only source of illumination.

a moment of illumination

After years of study, she had a moment of illumination.

manuscript illumination

Manuscript illumination was an art of patient detail.

provide illumination

Street lamps provide illumination for night walkers.

Christmas illuminations

The Christmas illuminations drew families to the town.

Synonyms and how they differ

lighting

Lighting is the everyday word for the lights in a space, while illumination is more formal and can also mean insight.

enlightenment

Enlightenment is deep, often spiritual understanding, while illumination can be a smaller flash of clarity.

insight

Insight is a clear grasp of something, whereas illumination suggests understanding arriving like light.

brightness

Brightness refers only to the strength of light, not to understanding or decoration.

Opposites

Word family

illuminate verb

to light up or make clear

illuminated adjective

lit or decorated

illuminating adjective

giving helpful new understanding

illuminator noun

a person who decorates manuscripts

Commonly confused: illumination or illusion?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “illumination”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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