1. People claiming to be unusually enlightened with regard to a subject.
2. Illuminati Any of various groups claiming special religious enlightenment.

[Latin illūminātī, from pl. of illūminātus. See illuminate.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.