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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Some of those eagerly sought to enlighten their charges, while a few others grew to see – or claimed to see – an unbridgeable chasm between the ivory tower and mass cultural aspiration.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 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
When you get a varied body of work, it can enlighten your own life in a way, and that’s a great feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 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
“What am I doing here, Strange? Are you going to enlighten me?”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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This is why “Catch the Fair One” ultimately disappoints more than it enlightens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
What it shows us, what it leaves out and which important opportunities it misses are more concerning, all of which are why this hour disappoints more than it enlightens or activate the viewer.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2021
But it thrives as an autonomous sphere, and as I age, it’s increasingly the one that succors, enlarges, and enlightens me most, when I have the energy and presence to bring to it.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2019
Poverty casts a dark shadow, while love enlightens the ambience.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2019
I will read further, searching until I find an explanation that enlightens me.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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Or should the seemingly enlightened Norwegians be more understanding?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It’s no crime to give even the most enlightened reader a leg up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When you see a really good player, that’s a rara avis — an enlightened individual.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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
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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This columnist’s three years in the trenches were the toughest yet most enlightening three years of my career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
The people who say it don’t understand how enlightening the observation is.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
I daresay my education here has been more than a little enlightening.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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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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