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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

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

And I’ll just pray to the gods of the arts to enlighten me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2024

“You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you.”

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Unfortunately, however, the Netflix series obscures on this issue more than it enlightens.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025

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

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

“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

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

Victor III was far more enlightened, but his liberalism was paternalistic, rooted in noblesse oblige.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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

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

"Intelligence is essentially a banal trade of sifting through huge amounts of random information in a search for a single enlightening gem or illuminating link," he wrote.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau




Vocabulary lists containing enlighten


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