edify

[ ed-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈɛd ə faɪ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: edify / edifying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ed·i·fied, ed·i·fy·ing.

to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift: religious paintings that edify the viewer.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of edify

1300–50; Middle English edifien<Anglo-French, Old French edifier<Latin aedificāre to build, equivalent to aedi- (stem of aedes) house, temple + -ficāre-fy

OTHER WORDS FROM edify

ed·i·fi·er, nouned·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbnon·ed·i·fied, adjectivere·ed·i·fy, verb (used with object), re·ed·i·fied, re·ed·i·fy·ing.

un·ed·i·fied, adjectiveun·ed·i·fy·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use edify in a sentence

So it is with South Park, which edifies as it offends—or maybe edifies because it offends.
Why Your Kids Must Watch ‘South Park’|Nick Gillespie|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nothing edifies Davis in the film apart from his music, but even that is conveyed meekly.
Why No Oscar Love For 'Inside Llewyn Davis'?|Tim Teeman|January 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A long work and a short prayer edifies the house, but a long prayer and a short work destroys it.
Serbia in Light and Darkness|Nikolaj Velimirovic
In so far as the drama uplifts and edifies the audience, it does so, not by precept or by syllogism, but by emotional suggestion.
The Theory of the Theatre|Clayton Hamilton

The critic—with his own tongue still edifies his ears, 614, &c.
The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10)|Alexander Pope
To her great surprise she hears that the sister continues there, and edifies the whole community by her piety.
A Literary History of the English People|Jean Jules Jusserand
He opens his budget and edifies us with a speech—one-half the house goes away.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7|Elbert Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for edify

edify

/ (ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

(tr) to improve the morality, intellect, etc, of, esp by instruction

Derived forms of edify

edifier, nounedifying, adjectiveedifyingly, adverb

Word Origin for edify

C14: from Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre to construct, from aedēs a dwelling, temple + facere to make

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

edify

Origin of edify

OTHER WORDS FROM edify

Words related to edify

How to use edify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for edify

Derived forms of edify

Word Origin for edify