highlighter

noun

high·​light·​er ˈhī-ˌlī-tər 

plural highlighters

1

: a cosmetic for making facial features (such as the cheekbones) appear lighter or brighter

To enhance her natural beauty, the former model's complexion is glowing with a light, iridescent highlighter on her cheeks and a clear, glittery gloss on her lips.

—Nicole Saunders

2

: a pen with a broad felt tip and brightly colored transparent ink for marking selected passages in a text

At least 100 publications, from newspapers to scientific journals, come into the building daily, and the editors' scissors and highlighters are never idle.

—Keith Henderson

Examples of highlighter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And because wearing highlighter is becoming less and less common, a blush like this nail that glow-from-within Sabrina Carpenter dewy look without being blinding like a 2016 highlighter. —Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 20 June 2024

Pro tip: Use it for highlighter down the bridge of your nose and on your cupid's bow. —Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 11 June 2024

The beauty guru also applied various face products, like the cult-favorite Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray and the TikTok-viral Beauty Light Wand blushes and highlighters, to create a glowy base. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024

Her drugstore faves include Elf for the blushes and Milani for a gorgeous golden highlighter. —Tira Urquhart, Essence, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

highlighter

noun

high·​light·​er

: a pen with a broad felt tip and brightly colored transparent ink for marking selected passages in a text