enlighten
Americanverb
-
to give information or understanding to; instruct; edify
-
to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition
-
to give spiritual or religious revelation to
-
poetic to shed light on
Other Word Forms
- enlightenedly adverb
- enlightenedness noun
- enlightener noun
- enlightening adjective
- nonenlightened adjective
- preenlighten verb (used with object)
- preenlightener noun
- reenlighten verb (used with object)
- unenlightened adjective
- well-enlightened adjective
Etymology
Origin of enlighten
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enli(g)htenen; en- 1, lighten 1
Explanation
To enlighten someone means to explain something clearly to him. If your friend is behaving strangely but insists she has a reason for it, you could ask her to enlighten you. Enlighten comes from the metaphor that ignorance is a state of being "in the dark," and that knowledge is illuminating. We use enlighten as a verb meaning to clear up, to remove confusion. Light is also a powerful metaphor for spiritual insight. If you have a great revelation about the divinity of the world, you could say you have been enlightened. The era known as the "Age of Reason" is also called the Enlightenment.
Vocabulary lists containing enlighten
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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The Titan's Curse
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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.
Its narrative offers few character sketches, jumps around in time and digresses into subjects that distract more than they enlighten.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
So can you enlighten us as to the great wisdom Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito share in their own concurrences?
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2025
Because I break bread with and claim to be part of this marked construct, this otherness, complete with jail time within the carceral state, allow me to enlighten you.
From Salon • Jan. 1, 2024
Mr Husband said for many younger Scotland fans the tournament would "enlighten" their lives and the team would have to set their standards high.
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023
“Where is she now? Will someone please enlighten me?”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
