1
as in stars
a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body that shines by its own light
awed by the vast number of luminaries in the night sky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
luminaries from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and politics were at the gala
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of luminaries
Over 600 people attended the wedding weekend, including other Hollywood luminaries like Cary Grant and Ava Gardner.
—
Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Early visitors included luminaries like Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, Kirk Douglas, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.
—Jennifer Green, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Their On Culture event in September could take the brand to new heights and honor a whole new category of luminaries and rainmakers in marketing.
—Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 15 May 2026
This shifts the focus to a central architectural split which industry luminaries like Blackrock’s Larry Fink and Rob Goldstein have been touting for some time.
—Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
This collection is a collaborative deep engagement with translation with translation (and poetry) luminaries like Aditi Machado and Sawako Nakayasu.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
The king, along with his wife, Queen Camilla, greeted Stewart and other luminaries, including George and Amal Clooney, David Oyelowo, Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch during the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust at London's Royal Albert Hall.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The protest comes on the second day of VIP previews for art world luminaries and journalists ahead of the Biennale’s opening on Saturday.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Tributes to Turner began pouring in on Wednesday, and among the luminaries who paused to remember the man was Hawks CEO Steve Koonin.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 May 2026
Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Early visitors included luminaries like Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, Kirk Douglas, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.
—Jennifer Green, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Their On Culture event in September could take the brand to new heights and honor a whole new category of luminaries and rainmakers in marketing.
—Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 15 May 2026
This shifts the focus to a central architectural split which industry luminaries like Blackrock’s Larry Fink and Rob Goldstein have been touting for some time.
—Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
This collection is a collaborative deep engagement with translation with translation (and poetry) luminaries like Aditi Machado and Sawako Nakayasu.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
The king, along with his wife, Queen Camilla, greeted Stewart and other luminaries, including George and Amal Clooney, David Oyelowo, Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch during the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust at London's Royal Albert Hall.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The protest comes on the second day of VIP previews for art world luminaries and journalists ahead of the Biennale’s opening on Saturday.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Tributes to Turner began pouring in on Wednesday, and among the luminaries who paused to remember the man was Hawks CEO Steve Koonin.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
-
Today’s Hollywood stars — Taylor Russell, Greta Lee, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alison Oliver, Jisoo, Maude Apatow, Jeff Goldblum, Sabrina Carpenter, to name a few — were in attendance.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
The Ducks have high-ceiling youngsters blossoming into stars who should be the nucleus of future playoff teams.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Glossip has received public support both nationally and internationally, including from celebrities like Kim Kardashian.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
The content surrounding the campaign has drawn praise from a handful of celebrities, including reality star/entrepreneur Paris Hilton, actor Taylor Lautner and celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In Rubin’s first year alone, scientists expect the observatory to find 1 million undiscovered asteroids — as many as have been documented in the previous 200 years of human history — as well as thousands of comets and billions of stars and galaxies.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 May 2026
-
And Rubin will discover much more than TNOs, too, by virtue of its emphasis on time-domain astronomy—the study of objects such as asteroids, novae, supernovae and active galaxies that move and vary in brightness.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
While challenges to Putin’s rule are still few and far between, the discontent in Russian society — from online personalities with large social media followings to normally robotic-like supporters in the Russian political system — is beginning to bubble up.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
-
Their personas were their personalities.—
Lily Moayeri,
SPIN,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The results reveal jets carrying energy equal to around 10,000 suns while moving at nearly half the speed of light, offering one of the clearest views yet of how black holes pump energy back into the universe.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
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Along my walkway and all over my neighborhood, nasturtium flowers are opening like bright orange suns, fragrant lavender is attracting buzzing bees, and rosemary bushes are beginning to brighten with baby blue flowers.—
Senior Food Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Kofman’s article chronicles the path of such ideas from the fringes to the mainstream, outlining their influence on figures such as Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, and Elon Musk.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
State Department figures show 6,066 — or 99% — of the refugees were from South Africa, while the other three hailed from Afghanistan.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
This fast-growing shrub got its name from the shape of its colorful flowers, which grow as dense spikes or round clusters in red, pink, yellow, or white that attract hummingbirds.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
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Spread to Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, and Uganda plus clusters of unexplained deaths suggest a far larger outbreak than reported and raise fresh alarms over funding, supplies and regional preparedness.—
Chinedu Asadu,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Over the years, many notable dignitaries have stayed here; hence the names of the eight signature suites, which are named after an iconic political visitor, such as Roosevelt and John Adams.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 May 2026
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The voting panel includes an assortment of the sport’s dignitaries, including but not limited to representatives from NASCAR, track owners, former drivers, former owners, manufacturer representatives, media members and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion.—
Jeff Siner,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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