enlightenment
the act of enlightening.
the state of being enlightened: to live in spiritual enlightenment.
(usually initial capital letter)Buddhism, Hinduism. prajna.
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.
Origin of enlightenment
1Other words from enlightenment
- pre·en·light·en·ment, noun
- re·en·light·en·ment, noun
Words Nearby enlightenment
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use enlightenment in a sentence
It’s also a shift that’s happening all over the tech landscape as companies — perhaps goaded by newfound enlightenment or, more likely, the prospect of government intervention — are being more assertive about what happens on their platforms.
By clamping down on DC rioters, Airbnb is finally acting like it owns the place | Rani Molla | January 15, 2021 | VoxSimilarly, early Americans had faith that a newly expanded print media would spread enlightenment.
What the 1798 Sedition Act got right — and what it means today | Kaitlyn Carter | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostHis eventual enlightenment, however, is said to have involved recognition that all things are temporary, ever-changing, and impermanent.
Over Time, Buddhism and Science Agree - Issue 94: Evolving | David P. Barash | December 23, 2020 | NautilusA pandemic lockdown is not a sabbatical to finish your novel, or a monastic retreat to find enlightenment, or a visit to the spa so you can retool your diet and get into shape.
As stay-at-home restrictions rise, here are ways to cope | Washington Post Staff, Elizabeth Chang, Mari-Jane Williams, Becky Krystal, Kendra Nichols, Caitlin Moore, Stephanie Merry, Missy Rosenberg, Katherine Lee | December 2, 2020 | Washington PostI nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism.
A Contested 2020 Election Would Be Way Worse Than Bush v. Gore | Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com) | October 9, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
In my search for answers about who I was, I pored over religious texts in search of enlightenment.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTTwo and a half millennia ago, Siddhartha Gautama sought enlightenment.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma | Brendon Hong | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEverything in life, from governance to harvest to warfare, was suffused with sacred meaning until the advent of the enlightenment.
Karen Armstrong’s New Rule: Religion Isn’t Responsible for Violence | Patricia Pearson | October 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI later read that to be fit for enlightenment, man must be fearless.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More | Gary Wright | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen he emerged from the Zen monastery on Mount Baldy, his enlightenment was followed with an all too worldly disaster.
Further enlightenment (as with men) comes through grace as soon as they become beati through turning to good.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorHe did talk the matter over with Deacon Pettybone, but got little enlightenment for his pains.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandFlashes of recollection, enlightenment, and dismay succeeded one another in Roly's face.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. ThompsonThe less enlightenment and reason men possess, the more zeal they exhibit for their religion.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean MeslierWe naturally look to our colleges for the evidences of learning, of enlightenment and culture.
British Dictionary definitions for enlightenment (1 of 2)
/ (ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt) /
the act or means of enlightening or the state of being enlightened
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
Hinduism a state of transcendent divine experience represented by Vishnu: regarded as a goal of all religion
British Dictionary definitions for Enlightenment (2 of 2)
/ (ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt) /
the Enlightenment an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions
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
Cultural definitions for Enlightenment
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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