enlighten
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.
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A director who loves our country and wants to enlighten us with consequential historical exhibits would be a better fit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
I can give Bill something that people don’t understand and progress the story and maybe enlighten people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 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 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
Looks seem rather important, as does the ability to enlighten, disappoint, and control great numbers of people who always seem to be American.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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Unfortunately, however, the Netflix series obscures on this issue more than it enlightens.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
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
This is her place to retreat inward with her sheep to create prose that enlightens us and products that feed us.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
“You are like he was,” Keith enlightens me, “and just like him, you were most likely to die the same way—a quarter of what you could have been....”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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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
The Japanese prisoner-of-war camp is run by an enlightened colonel who insists on humane treatment and establishes educational programs, sports competitions and musical groups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Are our moneyed men less enlightened to their own interest, or less enterprising in the pursuit?,” the future Treasury secretary wrote External link in 1780.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Quite poorly educated, quite easily misled, perhaps less than enlightened.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
John Quincy’s network of European sources also urged enlightened procrastination.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Nevertheless, it’s an enlightening read in light of how dramatically war has changed in the last two-and-a-half centuries.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
"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
While Mr. Swaim’s interview is otherwise enlightening, a few aspects of Eastern Orthodoxy require clarification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Alexander said: "It was the single most enlightening conversation I've had in the last month on trade so I see why you hold him in such high regard."
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
During his voyage around the world, his encounters with natives had been startling and enlightening.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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Vocabulary lists containing enlighten
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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The Titan's Curse
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