enlighten

[en-lahyt-n]

verb (used with object)

1. to give intellectual or spiritual light to; instruct; impart knowledge to.

   We hope the results of our research will enlighten our colleagues.

   Synonyms: inform, teach, edify, illumine
   Antonyms: puzzle, perplex, confuse, mystify

2. Archaic.,  to shed light upon.

enlighten

/ ɪnˈlaɪtən /

verb

1. to give information or understanding to; instruct; edify

2. to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition

3. to give spiritual or religious revelation to

4. poetic,  to shed light on

Other Word Forms

• enlightening adjective
• enlightener noun
• enlightenedly adverb
• enlightenedness noun
• nonenlightened adjective
• preenlighten verb (used with object)
• preenlightener noun
• reenlighten verb (used with object)
• unenlightened adjective
• well-enlightened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of enlighten¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enli(g)htenen; en- ¹, lighten ¹

Example Sentences

The nonprofit White House Historical Association has an enlightening essay on the subject, written by the group’s president, Stewart McLaurin.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For a time, Byerley belonged to a social-media movement that has given antidepressants a makeover—from a stigmatized medicine to a healthy lifestyle accessory for enlightened and empowered young women.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It was very enlightening and scary -- by enlightening, I mean really scary," Arnett added.

Read more on Barron's

In Miranda’s “Hamilton” audiences saw what America could be if it were truly an egalitarian, enlightened society unhindered by the ugly racism that scarred it from the very start.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But an enlightening conversation with his father, who died in 2022, made it “make sense for my psyche.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acquaint 
• advise 
• civilize 
• edify 
• educate 
• inform 
• uplift