benighted

[ bih-nahy-tid ]

/ bɪˈnaɪ tɪd /

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See synonyms for: benighted / benightedness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

intellectually or morally ignorant; unenlightened: benighted ages of barbarism and superstition.

overtaken by darkness or night.

OTHER WORDS FOR benighted

1 backward, primitive, crude, uncultivated.

See synonyms for benighted on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of benighted

First recorded in 1565–75; be- + night + -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM benighted

be·night·ed·ly, adverbbe·night·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby benighted

Ben-Gurion, David, Ben Hur, Beni, Benicia, Benidorm, benighted, benign, benignant, benignity, benignly, benign neglect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use benighted in a sentence

After disembarking, the 26-year-old was led away for the crime of reporting on political opposition—exactly the sort of activity essential to the functioning of a democracy, should one ever occur in his benighted homeland.
Why 2021 Was a Watershed Year for Press Freedoms|Karl Vick|December 30, 2021|Time
Israel looms large here as a malevolent actor that manipulated the benighted Americans into sharing its hostility toward Iran.
America and Iran, from fascination to antagonism|Ray Takeyh|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
Colonial rhetoric was often virtuous: colonizers would bring civilization to benighted Africans.
Why Africa’s Turning Anti-Gay|Jay Michaelson|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I quickly realized that no one really thought that—and if they did think that, they were too benighted to worry about.
Is Bravo’s Jewish Princesses Long Island the Most Offensive TV Show Ever?|Andrew Romano|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Last week, I took it upon myself to introduce you benighted savages to one of the great comedies of modern times.
Why You're Wrong About Monty Python|Tom Doran|March 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I knew immediately where to locate my benighted family and growing restlessness.
In A Very Deep Way: Remembering Rabbi David Hartman|Bernard Avishai|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In 1975 he went from benighted Warsaw to far more benighted Luanda to cover the civil war in Angola.
P.J. O’Rourke Picks His Favorite Travel Books|P. J. O’Rourke|November 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
One must take a sup of hot liquor when benighted in such freezing snow as this.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
By some direct and primitively human way her benighted mind had reached its determination.
The Cruise of the Shining Light|Norman Duncan
All this the benighted wanderers observed as they continued to approach cautiously on tiptoe.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne
A farmer returning homeward to the parish of Malew from Peel was benighted and lost his way among the mountains.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
The week in which during all the years of many and long ages benighted people sacrificed their Christs to Shylock gods.
Communism and Christianism|William Montgomery Brown

British Dictionary definitions for benighted

benighted

/ (bɪˈnaɪtɪd) /

adjective

lacking cultural, moral, or intellectual enlightenment; ignorant

archaic overtaken by night

Derived forms of benighted

benightedly, adverbbenightedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

benighted

OTHER WORDS FOR benighted

Origin of benighted

OTHER WORDS FROM benighted

Words nearby benighted

Words related to benighted

How to use benighted in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for benighted

Derived forms of benighted