Meanings
comparative more illuminating · superlative most illuminating
- figurativelyProviding clarification or explanation; educational, revealing.
1 more example
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.
1961 November, “Talking of Trains: The subsidence problem”, in Trains Illustrated, page 651
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of illuminate.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivetending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Esperanto lumiganta
- lumigantaproviding illumination or light.
Turkish aydınlatıcı
- aydınlatıcıproviding illumination or light.
Cite this entry
illuminating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illuminating
“illuminating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illuminating. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “illuminating,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illuminating.
Source: illuminating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.