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
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
“The truth is, you are either here to enlighten or discourage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025
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
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
Patrick Carone, a former editor at Abercrombie’s quarterly magazine, enlightens viewers on the concept of a mall: “Imagine, like, a search engine that you could walk through.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2022
I will read further, searching until I find an explanation that enlightens me.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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“The art it represents,” wrote Vincent Canby in the New York Times, “belongs to that school of very classy calendar art supported by airlines, insurance corporations and a few enlightened barber shops.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
“In their minds, they see themselves as more enlightened and therefore more justified to cut off for more reasons,” Anderson says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
It doesn’t matter how enlightened the people are.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
When you see a really good player, that’s a rara avis — an enlightened individual.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Of course, that was forty years ago, and such foolishness would be unthinkable in these more enlightened times.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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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
Yes, a book about the history of the bond market can be entertaining and enlightening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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 walking tour guides one through the city's various landmarks, reciting bits of information the listener might find enlightening.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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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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