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• enlightenment
  enlightenment

  noun

  the act of enlightening.
• Enlightenment
  Enlightenment

  noun

  an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions

enlightenment

American  

[en-lahyt-n-muhnt] / ɛnˈlaɪt n mənt /

noun

1. the act of enlightening.

2. the state of being enlightened.

   to live in spiritual enlightenment.

3. (usually initial capital letter) prajna.

4. the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

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Enlightenment ¹ British  

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions

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enlightenment ² British  

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. the act or means of enlightening or the state of being enlightened

2. Buddhism the awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations to which all men are otherwise subject

3. Hinduism a state of transcendent divine experience represented by Vishnu: regarded as a goal of all religion

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Enlightenment Cultural  

1. An intellectual movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries marked by a celebration of the powers of human reason, a keen interest in science, the promotion of religious toleration, and a desire to construct governments free of tyranny. Some of the major figures of the Enlightenment were David Hume, Immanuel Kant, John Locke, the Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire.

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Other Word Forms

• preenlightenment
  noun
• reenlightenment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of enlightenment

First recorded in 1660–70; enlighten + -ment

Explanation

Enlightenment is education or awareness that brings change, such as your enlightenment about nutrition that leads you to throw out every last bit of your family's junk food. In Hinduism and Buddhism, enlightenment is also sometimes called "awakening" — after all, the name "Buddha" means "the awakened one." Not all enlightenments are spiritual: your enlightenment about environmental issues, for example, can awaken you to new ways of conserving resources like water and electricity. The Enlightenment started in the 1700s, a historical era defined by a focus on reason and science.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enlightenment Enlightenment

“If there’s anything tumultuous happening now . . . I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been paying attention,” she jokes, “just remember that historically, an enlightenment of epic proportions is probably not far off.”

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

I arrived at Longshan Temple, in the old part of western Taipei, on a Saturday, unaware that it was the anniversary of the enlightenment of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

The experience suggests that to achieve enlightenment, one must embrace these limitations, come to peace with contradictions, and maintain faith in a larger order that we cannot fathom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Rebecca Nagle: The part we all know is the part where Thomas Jefferson is pontificating about these enlightenment ideals.

From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2026

By this time, the center of intellectual enlightenment had moved to the great Library of Alexandria.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

No one would mistake Mr. Nolan for a figure from the Renaissance or the Enlightenment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Many of these ideas can be traced back to the controversial thinker and tech founder Curtis Yarvin, who has been called the "founder of the Dark Enlightenment".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The Scottish Enlightenment is really kind of the origin story of the Declaration of Independence.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

The idea that citizens have a right to access information of the kind made possible by the Presidential Records Act can be traced back to the Enlightenment.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026

The prosperity this engendered was one of the cushions on which the Enlightenment floated.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• awareness
• civilization
• insight
• literacy
• sophistication
• understanding
• wisdom