What does “illustrious” mean?
- 1
adjectivefamous and respected because of great achievements
She had an illustrious career as a judge.
Illustrious at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ɪˈlʌstriəs/ · ih-LUS-tree-us
How to use “illustrious” correctly
Formal and positive; it describes careers and histories, not appearance.
Common phrases with “illustrious”
- an illustrious career
- illustrious history
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- distinguished
- eminent
- celebrated
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- obscure
“illustrious” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- venerable adjectiveC2respected because of age, experience or long history
- decorum nounC2polite, correct behavior that is suitable for a formal situation
- deference nounC2polite respect shown to someone, often by accepting their opinion or wishes
- gentry nounC2people of a high social class, especially landowners just below the nobility
- intimate adjectiveC1very close and personal, or private
- throng nounC2a large crowd of people
- foster verbC1to encourage something to develop
- horde nounC1a very large crowd of people, often noisy or hard to control