lit 1 of 4

adjective (1)

variants or lighted
Definition of litnext
1
as in illuminated
filled with much light the coat room was just lit well enough for us to identify our jackets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burning
being on fire some lighted torches lined the path to the shrine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lit

2 of 4

adjective (2)

as in drunk
being under the influence of alcohol Raucous singing could be heard coming from tents full of lit Oktoberfest revelers.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lit

3 of 4

verb (1)

variants or lighted
past tense of light
1
as in burned
to set (something) on fire we lit the kindling before adding the heavier logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illumined
to supply with light the lights from the TV cameras will light this room as though it were high noon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lit

4 of 4

verb (2)

variants or lighted
past tense of light
1
as in perched
to come to rest after descending from the air the bird lit on the branch and began to sing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in descended
to come down from something (as a vehicle) he hurriedly lighted from the bus and started walking up the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lit
Verb
Night lasts about two Earth weeks, and at the poles, only a few ridges stay lit for long stretches. — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026 The MacBook Neo has lit a fire under PC developers to release competitive, low-cost models of their own, such as the most recent Dell XPS 13. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026 Moe allegedly lit the firework for her while the girl was still holding it, and the firework exploded in her hand, the criminal complaint says. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Dipping into this cocoon, lit by a crackling fireplace, after meandering through the Christmas market at the Tuileries Gardens across the street is a no-brainer. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026 Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, joined the vigil and paid tribute to the climbers as candles were lit in their memory. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 The episode takes place almost entirely in Warren’s home, lit through candles or fireplaces. — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 The façade was lighted from below by the exterior lights that specified the building, separated it from the other night buildings. — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 This year, the company lit Chinese social media on fire by launching GD01, an over 3-meter tall, transformable robot that can carry a human pilot in its cockpit—priced from $650,000. — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lit
  1. illuminated
  2. burning
  3. drunk
  4. burned
  5. illumined
  6. perched
  7. descended
  8. light
Adjective
  • While a thin sliver will remain illuminated by direct sunlight, most of the lunar surface will appear dramatically darkened with a subtle reddish-orange glow — reminiscent of a total lunar eclipse seen across North America on March 3.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The eatery features Midcentury Modern touches with curved cherry wood walls and paneled ceilings, as well as illuminated white onyx Corian surfaces.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of illuminated
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
  • In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Definition of burning
Adjective
  • Ormund, who has spent the entirety of the battle looking for Ulf, finally finds the dragonseed passed out in the latrine after a morning spent in Lord Footly’s kitchen getting drunk on the Footly stores of ale.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of drunk
Verb
  • Laurie Allen left her home in Nine Mile Falls, a community north of Spokane, last weekend, fleeing with her husband, dog and two kittens as a wildfire burned a short distance away.
    — Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Stop planning for the mirror image, because Beijing burned the mirror.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of burned
Verb
  • Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of illumined
Verb
  • The red-brick Southeast Lighthouse, perched atop the Mohegan Bluffs, is all but deserted.
    — Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The property is perched high on a corner parcel with privacy enhanced by mature trees.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of perched
Verb
  • But at the end of the year, as immigration officers descended on Minneapolis, that vote became a liability.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • There was a very real chance the bus could continue to slide, but Lara and four other soldiers and airmen rushed to help as the scene descended into chaos.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of descended
Adjective
  • Ultimately, though, the highlight is grabbing a glass of local wine at the lobby bar, carrying it to any one of the viewpoints on the massive lawn, and watching sunset over the silent sound, feeling like everything the light touches is yours.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Across from her, the eminently likable Raúl Esparza makes for an unusually light Leontes.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of light

Phrases Containing lit

Browse Nearby Words

lists (for)
lit
litanies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lit. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lit

Nglish: Translation of lit for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All