enlightenment

[ en-lahyt-n-muhnt ]

/ ɛnˈlaɪt n mənt /

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noun

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.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of enlightenment

First recorded in 1660–70; enlighten + -ment

OTHER WORDS FROM enlightenment

pre·en·light·en·ment, nounre·en·light·en·ment, noun

Words nearby enlightenment

enlargement, enlarger, enlighten, enlightened, enlightening, enlightenment, Enlil, enlist, enlisted man, enlisted woman, enlistee

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|Vox
Similarly, 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 Post
His 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|Nautilus
A 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 Post

I 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|DAILY BEAST
Two and a half millennia ago, Siddhartha Gautama sought enlightenment.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everything 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|DAILY BEAST
I 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|DAILY BEAST
When he emerged from the Zen monastery on Mount Baldy, his enlightenment was followed with an all too worldly disaster.
Excuse Me For Not Dying: Leonard Cohen at 80|David Yaffe|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Taylor
He did talk the matter over with Deacon Pettybone, but got little enlightenment for his pains.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Flashes of recollection, enlightenment, and dismay succeeded one another in Roly's face.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
The less enlightenment and reason men possess, the more zeal they exhibit for their religion.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
We naturally look to our colleges for the evidences of learning, of enlightenment and culture.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various

British Dictionary definitions for enlightenment (1 of 2)

enlightenment

/ (ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt) /

noun

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)

Enlightenment

/ (ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt) /

noun

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

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.

enlightenment

Origin of enlightenment

OTHER WORDS FROM enlightenment

Words nearby enlightenment

Words related to enlightenment

How to use enlightenment in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enlightenment (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for enlightenment (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for enlightenment