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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

Because I break bread with and claim to be part of this marked construct, this otherness, complete with jail time within the carceral state, allow me to enlighten you.

From Salon Jan. 1, 2024

“There is much you do not know. Things best not discussed here, where anyone can hear. If-you hold your tongue, I may enlighten you.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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 why “Catch the Fair One” ultimately disappoints more than it enlightens.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 11, 2022

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

“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

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

The author ties his root-and-branch critique of capitalism to a plea to “make modern life much more affordable than it is at present,” which he hopes will open more opportunities for enlightened leisure.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 2, 2026

Along the way, he built schools and almshouses, new roads and bridges, and even founded whole new towns, establishing himself as one of the most enlightened of the English landlords in Ireland at the time.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

"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

But the Glass year is already officially underway with two curiously enlightening projects this month.

From Los Angeles Times May 21, 2026

The people who say it don’t understand how enlightening the observation is.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 30, 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

I pretended to agree with everything as if this was new and enlightening.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez




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