edify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unedifiedadjective
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reedifyverb (used with object)
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edifyinglyadverb
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edifiernoun
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nonedifiedadjective
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edifyingadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have edifiedperfect
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has edifiedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been edifyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been edifyingperfect progressive
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edifiessingular 3rd person
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edifyingparticiple
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am edifyingprogressive 1st person singular
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are edifyingprogressive
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is edifyingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had edifiedperfect
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were edifyingprogressive plural
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was edifyingprogressive singular
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had been edifyingperfect progressive
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edifiedsimple
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edifiedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of edify
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English edifien, from Anglo-French, Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre “to build,” equivalent to aedi- (stem of aedes ) “house, temple” + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To edify is to help someone understand, whether it is books that edify those who want to learn a new language, or the explanations that hang beside paintings at a museum that edify visitors who aren't familiar with the artist. If you know that the noun edifice is a synonym for building, you may wonder what the related verb edify has to do with understanding. You can think of something that edifies as the building blocks of what might become a lifelong interest, like an elementary school teacher who edifies the student who becomes an Abraham Lincoln scholar, or an activity you eventually master, like the beginners' lessons that edify new ice skaters.
Vocabulary lists containing edify
Othello
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Finding the least taxing way to activate your inner circle could gratify — and edify — all involved, and restore a sense of control over your own well-being.
From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2022
As our reviewer, Josh Lambert, observed, it celebrates, more broadly, “a traditional liberal faith in books themselves, and in their power to edify, soothe and unite people.”
From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021
Yet Moreno-Garcia aims not just to edify but to thrill.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2020
One story, The Millionaire, describes a disgraced man who undergoes ritual humiliation to edify people who want to witness “the version of the world you believe in”.
From The Guardian • Feb. 14, 2020
May I give offense to none, but rather in Christian conduct edify the brethren and direct them to all virtue.
From Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week Together With Confessional, Communion, and Other Prayers and Hymns for Mornings and Evenings, and Other Occasions by Habermann, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
