edifying

[ed-uh-fahy-ing]

adjective

1. instructive or beneficial, especially morally or spiritually; uplifting.

   We had our meals together, during which we listened to reading from an edifying children's book.

Other Word Forms

• edifyingly adverb
• unedifying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of edifying¹

edify + -ing ²

Example Sentences

There’s nothing here that the viewer can’t glean from the documentary, and in fact, the doc is a far more edifying and affecting work than Safdie’s stylish regurgitation.

From Salon

Brooks insists on seeing all this as an edifying story of a nation’s rise, albeit with a few bumps in the road.

From Salon

But it’s an edifying experience, hurtling forward with only the mighty light of intrepid wonder to guide us.

From Salon

It’s also a central pillar of the pair’s edifying new sitcom.

From Los Angeles Times

I was doing that job, less than part time, for only a brief period, while for the adults working in the dining hall, it was a more permanent and far less edifying condition.

From New York Times