highlighter

highlighter — noun

1. a writing instrument with a wide felt nib and clear, brightly coloured ink that

1.nounB1
Definition

a writing instrument with a wide felt nib and clear, brightly coloured ink that lets you go over printed words to draw attention to them

Example

Layla used a yellow highlighter to mark the key points in her textbook.

collocation: colour + highlighter (yellow/pink/green)

The teacher asked everyone to bring a highlighter to the reading class.

Common collocations
  • yellow / pink / green / orange / blue highlighter
  • use a highlighter
  • highlighter pen
  • highlighter colour
  • highlight + with a highlighter
  • a pack of highlighters
Synonyms
  • marker

    a broader term that includes both transparent highlighters and opaque pens for writing or drawing

  • fluorescent pen

    focuses on the bright colour quality of the ink rather than the marking function

  • felt-tip pen

    any pen with a felt nib; highlighters are a subtype with translucent ink

Grammar Patterns

a/an highlighter

colour + highlighter

highlighter + pen

Common Mistakes

I wrote the heading with a highlighter.
I wrote the heading with a marker.
highlighters have translucent ink for marking over existing text; they are not meant for writing on blank paper.
Pass me a highlighter so I can write on the whiteboard.
Pass me a whiteboard marker so I can write on the whiteboard.
highlighters are made for paper, not for non-porous surfaces.

2. a cosmetic product in cream, powder, or liquid form that you put on raised areas

2.nounB2
Definition

a cosmetic product in cream, powder, or liquid form that you put on raised areas of the face — cheekbones, brow bones, nose bridge — to brighten them and make them stand out

Example

Kabir applied a cream highlighter to his cheekbones before the photoshoot.

collocation: cream/powder/liquid + highlighter

Some people use a powder highlighter above their eyebrows to open up the eye area.

Common collocations
  • cream / powder / liquid highlighter
  • apply highlighter
  • highlighter palette
  • a touch / dab / coat of highlighter
  • highlighter brush
  • highlighter and contour
Synonyms
  • illuminator

    a more formal or high-end beauty term for the same type of product

  • highlighting powder

    refers specifically to the powder form of the product

  • strobe cream

    a brand-influenced term for a liquid or cream highlighter that gives a glossy finish

Antonyms
  • contour powder

    a darker product used to create shadows, which has the opposite effect of brightening

Grammar Patterns

[type] + highlighter

a touch / coat of highlighter

Common Mistakes

I put highlighter on my lips to make them shiny.
I put lip gloss on my lips to make them shiny.
highlighter is designed for the upper parts of the face such as cheekbones and brow bones, not for the lips.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A highlighter is a specific type of pen with translucent, brightly coloured ink designed to be drawn over existing text without hiding the words underneath. A marker is a broader category that includes any pen with a thick, porous tip and either permanent or non-permanent ink — standard markers are opaque and used for writing on paper, cardboard, or whiteboards, not for overlining. A felt-tip pen has a nib made of compressed felt fibres and can come in any colour or ink type; it is a general category that includes both markers and highlighters. A fluorescent pen is a less common term that emphasises the neon colour quality of the ink rather than the marking function. In everyday use: 'Please pass me a yellow highlighter to mark these notes' — using 'marker' here might cause confusion since the listener might hand you an opaque pen that covers the words.

highlighter ↗marker ↗felt-tip penfluorescent pen

Common collocations

Nouns

  • highlighter pen
  • highlighter colour
  • highlighter palette
  • highlighter brush

Phrases

  • a touch of highlighter
  • a pack of highlighters
  • a coat of highlighter

Prepositions

  • with a highlighter
  • in highlighter
  • of highlighter

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'highlighter' is formed by combining 'highlight' (meaning to emphasise or make noticeable) with the agent suffix '-er', creating a noun that means 'something that highlights'. The pen sense entered English in the 1960s when the first fluorescent marker pens appeared on the market, especially the German brand Stabilo Boss in 1971. The cosmetic sense emerged later, in the 1990s, as the beauty industry developed products designed to 'highlight' facial features by making them appear brighter and more prominent.