Synonyms

enlighten

American

[en-lahyt-n] / ɛnˈlaɪt n /

verb (used with object)

to give intellectual or spiritual light to; instruct; impart knowledge to.

We hope the results of our research will enlighten our colleagues.

Synonyms:

inform, teach, edify, illumine

Antonyms:

puzzle, perplex, confuse, mystify
Archaic. to shed light upon.

enlighten British

/ ɪnˈlaɪtən /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of enlighten

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enli(g)htenen; see 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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing enlighten

"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

The Titan's Curse

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

See Examples For:

enlighten enlightens enlightened enlightening

He offers never-ending reruns of the same speech, and at this point it fails to entertain, enlighten or move anyone.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

When you get a varied body of work, it can enlighten your own life in a way, and that’s a great feeling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 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

And I’ll just pray to the gods of the arts to enlighten me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2024

Was it not their duty to enlighten others?

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

He thought about the country’s anger, prejudice and the way the news batters more than enlightens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2023

There's not a lot of focus on music that enlightens people, and that carries over to other products as well.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2023

But it thrives as an autonomous sphere, and as I age, it’s increasingly the one that succors, enlarges, and enlightens me most, when I have the energy and presence to bring to it.

From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2019

Poverty casts a dark shadow, while love enlightens the ambience.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2019

I will read further, searching until I find an explanation that enlightens me.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

“Are our moneyed men less enlightened to their own interest, or less enterprising in the pursuit?,” the future Treasury secretary wrote External link in 1780.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Quite poorly educated, quite easily misled, perhaps less than enlightened.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Whereas the European gothic, he concludes, was “an enlightened attack on a debased ruling class or entrenched superstition,” its American version emerged as “a Calvinist exposé of natural human corruption.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

You might be tempted, with every faraway look in Christian Petzold’s subtly moving “Miroirs No. 3,” to hope for that soothing, enlightened release so often served as catharsis in tales of loss and healing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

She had received two full half-hour lessons in driving from the man who delivered the car, and in that enlightened year of 1925 this was considered quite sufficient.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl

Yes, a book about the history of the bond market can be entertaining and enlightening.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Together, these records offer a more complex and enlightening account of the Revolution, showing how its consequences were felt far beyond the Thirteen Colonies," Cunningham added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

But the Glass year is already officially underway with two curiously enlightening projects this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

With six politicians vying for your attention, these debates can be noisy and argumentative, but they can also be enlightening and influential.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

I daresay my education here has been more than a little enlightening.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023