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life lesson

British

noun

something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned

"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

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.

That’s more of a life lesson than I thought I would receive when I bought it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

A goalkeeper and then a midfielder, he tried out for Manchester United where he learned the life lesson that he was "good but not good enough".

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2025

In the tribute video to Ms. Hayden that was posted on “The Simpsons” social media accounts, Ms. Hayden said that Milhouse provides a great life lesson in perseverance and optimism.

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2024

That, despite being a septuagenarian, he’s never learned a life lesson.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2024

I felt like shouting, “Obviously not, Ms. McCrea!” but I didn’t want to be the suffering kid there to teach the other students a life lesson.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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