enlighten
Americanverb (used with object)
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enlightens,
present (3rd person singular)
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enlightened,
past participle, past
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enlightening
present participle
verb
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to give information or understanding to; instruct; edify
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to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition
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to give spiritual or religious revelation to
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poetic to shed light on
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enlightenednessnoun
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enlightenernoun
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preenlightenernoun
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preenlightenverb (used with object)
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reenlightenverb (used with object)
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enlighteningadjective
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nonenlightenedadjective
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unenlightenedadjective
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well-enlightenedadjective
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enlightenedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enlightensimple
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enlightenssimple
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have enlightenedperfect
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has enlightenedperfect
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am enlighteningprogressive
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are enlighteningprogressive
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is enlighteningprogressive
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have been enlighteningperfect progressive
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has been enlighteningperfect progressive
Past
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enlightenedsimple
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had enlightenedperfect
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was enlighteningprogressive
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were enlighteningprogressive
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had been enlighteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enlighten
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enli(g)htenen; see en- 1, lighten 1
Explanation
To enlighten someone means to explain something clearly to him. If your friend is behaving strangely but insists she has a reason for it, you could ask her to enlighten you. Enlighten comes from the metaphor that ignorance is a state of being "in the dark," and that knowledge is illuminating. We use enlighten as a verb meaning to clear up, to remove confusion. Light is also a powerful metaphor for spiritual insight. If you have a great revelation about the divinity of the world, you could say you have been enlightened. The era known as the "Age of Reason" is also called the Enlightenment.
Vocabulary lists containing enlighten
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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The Titan's Curse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A director who loves our country and wants to enlighten us with consequential historical exhibits would be a better fit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
So can you enlighten us as to the great wisdom Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito share in their own concurrences?
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
“I have committed my life to initiatives related to Stanley’s life and death that can enlighten and support others and save lives,” Lucas said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
Because I break bread with and claim to be part of this marked construct, this otherness, complete with jail time within the carceral state, allow me to enlighten you.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2024
As my father’s philosophy expanded, he began to empower, enlighten, and embrace an untold populace extending far beyond the limits of governmental control.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Unfortunately, however, the Netflix series obscures on this issue more than it enlightens.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
He thought about the country’s anger, prejudice and the way the news batters more than enlightens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
There's not a lot of focus on music that enlightens people, and that carries over to other products as well.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2023
Poverty casts a dark shadow, while love enlightens the ambience.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2019
“You are like he was,” Keith enlightens me, “and just like him, you were most likely to die the same way—a quarter of what you could have been....”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Or should the seemingly enlightened Norwegians be more understanding?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Phenomenal amounts of self-righteous bloviating about enlightened or benighted child-feeding have gone on for centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s no crime to give even the most enlightened reader a leg up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
You know, if everybody has the same idea and the same belief, we’re never going to learn anything, we’re never going to be enlightened to anything beyond ourselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
When the delegates had met up in Alkonost, they had assumed they would be enlightened as to the reason for their journey.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Gomide&Co has staged an enlightening booth that expands diasporic scholarship by looking at Asian artists working in Latin America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Nevertheless, it’s an enlightening read in light of how dramatically war has changed in the last two-and-a-half centuries.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
"Together, these records offer a more complex and enlightening account of the Revolution, showing how its consequences were felt far beyond the Thirteen Colonies," Cunningham added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Alexander said: "It was the single most enlightening conversation I've had in the last month on trade so I see why you hold him in such high regard."
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
I am writing this book in the hope of enlightening readers about the journey an African-American takes in having to grow up and live under the laws and traditions of oppression.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
