illuminate

verb

1 the bundle of clothes was illuminated by the officer's torch:

light, light up, throw light on, cast light upon, brighten, make brighter, shine on, flood with light, floodlight, irradiate;

literary illumine.

▷antonyms darken.

2 the manuscripts are illuminated in brilliant inks:

decorate, illustrate, embellish, adorn, ornament, enhance, emblazon, highlight.

3 documents often illuminate people's thought processes:

clarify, elucidate, explain, reveal, make clear, shed light on, cast light on, give insight into, clear up;

make explicit, spell out, explicate, expound, rationalize.

▷antonyms conceal; confuse.

illuminate Oxford Dictionary of English