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
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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
She and fellow luminaries such as Sheryl Crow and the Indigo Girls are featured in interviews discussing its cultural popularity and subsequent backlash, while modern stars like Olivia Rodrigo opine on the tour's influence.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Melissa Proctor, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Hawks and State Farm Arena, is one of several luminaries across the business, music, sports, and tech worlds who have added their voices to WAY.
—Ryan Stowers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Herzl and many other Zionist luminaries came from secular backgrounds, but the movement also included more observant Jews.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Sunday makes Scheffler just the fourth golfer since 1960 with back-to-back seasons of six or more wins, per Justin Ray, joining luminaries like Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Gushing comments below his post came from a range of luminaries, from Naomi Campbell to Salman Rushdie.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is celebrating 10 years of cutting-edge gravitational wave science by confirming predictions made by physics luminaries Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Roy Kerr — and potentially revealing a path toward a theory of quantum gravity.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The event was modeled after MGM’s Studio luncheon to commemorate their 25th anniversary, which also welcomed actors, producers and other luminaries.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
She was hailed as a seminal aesthetic and technical influence by such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Quentin Tarantino and Madonna.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Melissa Proctor, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Hawks and State Farm Arena, is one of several luminaries across the business, music, sports, and tech worlds who have added their voices to WAY.
—Ryan Stowers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Herzl and many other Zionist luminaries came from secular backgrounds, but the movement also included more observant Jews.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Sunday makes Scheffler just the fourth golfer since 1960 with back-to-back seasons of six or more wins, per Justin Ray, joining luminaries like Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Gushing comments below his post came from a range of luminaries, from Naomi Campbell to Salman Rushdie.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is celebrating 10 years of cutting-edge gravitational wave science by confirming predictions made by physics luminaries Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Roy Kerr — and potentially revealing a path toward a theory of quantum gravity.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The event was modeled after MGM’s Studio luncheon to commemorate their 25th anniversary, which also welcomed actors, producers and other luminaries.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
She was hailed as a seminal aesthetic and technical influence by such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Quentin Tarantino and Madonna.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminaries
Noun
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Take a look at all the stars out and about this week.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
15 Sep. 2025
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This week's quiz highlights burger bites, sporty stars — and a lot more.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While there has long been a stereotype that Hollywood is all liberal, plenty of conservative celebrities also routinely make their political opinions known.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
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The agency, which represents celebrities including Rihanna, Reese Witherspoon and Pharrell Williams, is known for pioneering the integration between brand communications and talent management.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The winners of the 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Award have been revealed, showcasing a spectacular selection of night sky images that reveal the majesty of ancient galaxies, nebulas, stellar cities and of course, Earth's moon.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Dust is ubiquitous in the modern Universe, appearing in nearly all galaxies.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There are plenty of opportunities for method dressing or showing off their personalities.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
14 Sep. 2025
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While most of us seek connection, high-conflict personalities often approach relationships as opportunities to win or control others.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With masses equivalent to millions or even billions of suns, supermassive black holes are too massive to have been born from dying stars; instead, it is theorized that they are created when smaller black holes collide and merge, and a chain of progressively larger and larger mergers.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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The central young star, or protostar, weighing as much as 10 of our suns, is located 15,000 light-years away in the outer reaches of our galaxy.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
ABC's move is latest high-profile example of media figures facing repercussions for comments about Kirk's killing.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
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Facts and figures The Red Sox are 82-69.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In addition to optimizing queries, Espresso routes queries between different compute clusters to maximize efficiency.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Yet, those clusters of information have more often led to more good decisions than bad, a lot of which is credited to the instincts of Begiristain.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mexican flags and candy adorned the Copley Plaza in front of The Old Globe on Saturday as a crowd joined dignitaries in celebrating the 215th Mexican Independence Day.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Sep. 2025
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The hotel has hosted musicians of a profile befitting the Music City, dignitaries of all stripes and political affiliations, and even less than auspicious guests like a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Luminaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminaries. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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