enlightenment

[ en-lahyt-n-muhnt ]

noun

1. the act of enlightening.
2. the state of being enlightened:

   to live in spiritual enlightenment.

3. (usually initial capital letter) Buddhism, Hinduism. prajna.
4. the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

enlightenment

¹

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. the act or means of enlightening or the state of being enlightened
2. Buddhism the awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations to which all men are otherwise subject
3. Hinduism a state of transcendent divine experience represented by Vishnu: regarded as a goal of all religion

Enlightenment

²

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. the Enlightenment
   the Enlightenment an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions

Enlightenment

1. An intellectual movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries marked by a celebration of the powers of human reason, a keen interest in science, the promotion of religious toleration, and a desire to construct governments free of tyranny. Some of the major figures of the Enlightenment were David Hume , Immanuel Kant , John Locke , the Baron de Montesquieu , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , and Voltaire .

Other Words From

• preen·lighten·ment noun
• reen·lighten·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of enlightenment¹

First recorded in 1660–70; enlighten + -ment

Example Sentences

It’s also a shift that’s happening all over the tech landscape as companies — perhaps goaded by newfound enlightenment or, more likely, the prospect of government intervention — are being more assertive about what happens on their platforms.

From Vox

Similarly, early Americans had faith that a newly expanded print media would spread enlightenment.

From Washington Post

His eventual enlightenment, however, is said to have involved recognition that all things are temporary, ever-changing, and impermanent.

From Nautilus

A pandemic lockdown is not a sabbatical to finish your novel, or a monastic retreat to find enlightenment, or a visit to the spa so you can retool your diet and get into shape.

From Washington Post

I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism.

From FiveThirtyEight

In my search for answers about who I was, I pored over religious texts in search of enlightenment.

From The Daily Beast

Two and a half millennia ago, Siddhartha Gautama sought enlightenment.

From The Daily Beast

Everything in life, from governance to harvest to warfare, was suffused with sacred meaning until the advent of the Enlightenment.

From The Daily Beast

I later read that to be fit for enlightenment, man must be fearless.

From The Daily Beast

When he emerged from the Zen monastery on Mount Baldy, his enlightenment was followed with an all too worldly disaster.

From The Daily Beast

Further enlightenment (as with men) comes through grace as soon as they become beati through turning to good.

From Project Gutenberg

He did talk the matter over with Deacon Pettybone, but got little enlightenment for his pains.

From Project Gutenberg

Flashes of recollection, enlightenment, and dismay succeeded one another in Roly's face.

From Project Gutenberg

The less enlightenment and reason men possess, the more zeal they exhibit for their religion.

From Project Gutenberg

We naturally look to our colleges for the evidences of learning, of enlightenment and culture.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awareness
• civilization
• insight
• literacy
• sophistication
• understanding
• wisdom