edifying

American  

[ed-uh-fahy-ing] / ˈɛd əˌfaɪ ɪŋ /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• edifyingly adverb
• unedifying adjective

Etymology

Origin of edifying

edify + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Equally as edifying is Lincoln’s 1858 “electric cord” speech, which explicitly confronted Know-Nothing xenophobia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

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

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2025

Nik goes further and says it was "absolutely edifying".

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

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 • Jun. 15, 2024

They were labeled with edifying placards that said Traditional Kerala Umbrella and Traditional Bridal Dowry-box.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy