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Definitions

enlighten

[en-lahyt-n] / ɛnˈlaɪt n /


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

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

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

“We have some time before supper-hour. I hope that will prove sufficient to enlighten you.”

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 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

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

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

Historically, hoping that an absolute power will benevolently provide for humanity if sufficiently enlightened hasn’t led to safe or positive outcomes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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

“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

“All this time we’ve been using your first name as your surname and you never enlightened us. I guess because then we would’ve known who your daddy is?”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

"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

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

But instead of simply riding or feeding the frenzy, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, stakes out enlightening new ground in “Frida: The Making of an Icon,” on view through May 17.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 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




Vocabulary lists containing enlighten


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