enlightening

American  

[en-lahyt-n-ing] / ɛnˈlaɪt n ɪŋ /

adjective

1. informative, instructive, or eye-opening; giving intellectual or spiritual light.

   You are encouraged to watch this very enlightening video to better understand what small family farms are up against.

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Other Word Forms

• enlighteningly adverb
• nonenlightening adjective
• unenlightening adjective

Etymology

Origin of enlightening

First recorded in 1570–80; enlighten ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Rovere, on the other hand, found the book to be “barren of ideas and imagination,” and “scarcely more interesting or enlightening than the day-by-day newspaper accounts.”

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

The view from above was enlightening, almost clinical.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

This iteration is an enlightening companion to “Gabriele Münter: Contours of a World.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Ultimately, the Sherlock actor wants "people to take enjoyment out of it" and doesn't want an audience to see this as a play that's good for them, but one that's interesting and enlightening.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

"Intelligence is essentially a banal trade of sifting through huge amounts of random information in a search for a single enlightening gem or illuminating link," he wrote.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• informative
• instructional
• instructive