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illustrious definition

il·lus·tri·ous (i lus′trē əs)

adjective

  1. Obsolete
    1. lustrous; shining; bright
    2. very clear; evident
  2. very distinguished; famous; eminent; outstanding

Etymology: < L illustris, clear, conspicuous, distinguished (back-form. < illustrare: see illustrate) + -ous

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

illustrious Synonyms

illustrious

modif.

distinguished, celebrated, renowned, eminent; see distinguished 2, famous, glorious 1, important 2. See syn. study at famous.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

illustrious Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • empire: His family was one of the most illustrious of the empire.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: On consideration we perceive it is not the cities which make the citizens illustrious, but he reverse.

Modifies a noun

  • predecessor: The motor, despite its looks, has been designed to be better than its illustrious stock predecessor in almost every respect.

Modifying Another Word

  • so: I've spoken to him many times but had no idea his war career was so illustrious.
illustrious usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

illustrious quotes

Children, to be illustrious is sad.

-Nemerov, Howard

illustrious quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"illustrious." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/illustrious>

APA Style

illustrious. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/illustrious

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