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Definitions

enlighten

[en-lahyt-n] / ɛnˈlaɪt n /


Example Sentences

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Its narrative offers few character sketches, jumps around in time and digresses into subjects that distract more than they enlighten.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 3, 2026

So can you enlighten us as to the great wisdom Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito share in their own concurrences?

From Slate Jun. 18, 2025

“I have committed my life to initiatives related to Stanley’s life and death that can enlighten and support others and save lives,” Lucas said.

From Los Angeles Times May 8, 2025

"I think in the spirit of the bikers, Dave would want me to continue to have fun and to educate, to inform, to enlighten, to be slightly edgy," he says.

From BBC Dec. 6, 2024

Baba would enlighten me with his poli­tics during those walks with long-winded dissertations.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

He thought about the country’s anger, prejudice and the way the news batters more than enlightens.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 18, 2023

There's not a lot of focus on music that enlightens people, and that carries over to other products as well.

From Salon Jun. 17, 2023

Poverty casts a dark shadow, while love enlightens the ambience.

From Seattle Times Nov. 27, 2019

Must-see TV: When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s miniseries about the lives at the heart of the Central Park Five, informs and enlightens audiences—but as Willa Paskin reviews, entertainment is not its core purpose.

From Slate May 30, 2019

I will read further, searching until I find an explanation that enlightens me.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Phenomenal amounts of self-righteous bloviating about enlightened or benighted child-feeding have gone on for centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

You know, if everybody has the same idea and the same belief, we’re never going to learn anything, we’re never going to be enlightened to anything beyond ourselves.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 2, 2026

He’s on the board of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and received its David Rockefeller Award, given to an “individual from the business community who exemplifies enlightened generosity.”

From Barron's Jun. 18, 2026

Quite poorly educated, quite easily misled, perhaps less than enlightened.

From Salon Jun. 15, 2026

If Clausewitz’s dictum is so subtle, complex, and misunderstood, how is the reader being enlightened by being told it is false?

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

"Together, these records offer a more complex and enlightening account of the Revolution, showing how its consequences were felt far beyond the Thirteen Colonies," Cunningham added.

From Barron's Jun. 22, 2026

On a positive note, the column provoked a new and enlightening round of discussion among economists about the scale, causes and consequences of the widening divergence between American and European prosperity.

From The Wall Street Journal May 21, 2026

Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper’s live performance from 2010 is particularly enlightening: the audience becomes audibly excited the moment they recognize the song’s iconic piano hook, a scene that demonstrates “Sunshine’s” immortality.

From Los Angeles Times May 19, 2026

With six politicians vying for your attention, these debates can be noisy and argumentative, but they can also be enlightening and influential.

From BBC Apr. 28, 2026

"Intelligence is essentially a banal trade of sifting through huge amounts of random information in a search for a single enlightening gem or illuminating link," he wrote.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau




Vocabulary lists containing enlighten


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