enlightened
Britishadjective
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factually well-informed, tolerant of alternative opinions, and guided by rational thought
an enlightened administration
enlightened self-interest
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privy to or claiming a sense of spiritual or religious revelation of truth
the search for an enlightened spiritual master
Explanation
Have you ever thought long and hard about a problem and then, suddenly, experienced an "ah-ha!" moment? If your answer is yes, then congratulations! You were enlightened or in possession of a clear understanding of what was otherwise mysterious. The word enlightened comes from the Latin prefix en meaning "in, into" and the word lux meaning "light." Combine these meanings — "into the light" — and you're describing what it is that characterizes an enlightened person: a sense of clarity and understanding. People often seek to be enlightened spiritually, by taking pilgrimages, meditating, or looking to spiritual gurus like the Dalai Lama.
Vocabulary lists containing enlightened
Matilda
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The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
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The Enlightenment
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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.
Many of the problems we face are self-inflicted, and they are fixable with proper allocation of resources, and enlightened and accountable leadership.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
Soelberg told his son that the chatbot, which he named Bobby and talked to on his smartphone, said he was enlightened and had a divine purpose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
All the enlightened reformers in Europe were desperately trying to eliminate the peasant peculiarities and plebeian dialects that divided the peoples of their nations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
If Spain in the 1930s may look racially homogeneous from our supposedly enlightened point of view, Kaufman indirectly makes the point that such definitions are always subjective, and subject to historical revision.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025
Do you think that they, with their Battles, Famine, Black Death and Serfdom, were less enlightened than we are, with our Wars, Blockade, Influenza and Conscription?
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
