edifying

adjective

ed·​i·​fy·​ing ˈe-də-ˌfī-iŋ 

: instructive or informative in a way that improves the mind or character

an edifying discussion

Much of Mr. Kernan's scholarship is impressive, and many of his thoughts on the history of language and literature are quite edifying.

—Joe Queenan

edifyingly adverb

Examples of edifying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Drama is also equally thrilling and edifying, much like the experience of witnessing Cardi’s rise and watching her maneuver celebrity, heartbreak and beef at the highest level. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2025

But Nelson’s point seems to be that all efforts to reproduce the natural world, whether motivated by crassly commercial interests or ones that are, ostensibly, more edifying, are much alike in the end. —Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025

This may have been a low point, but not even the more edifying moments of the discussion shed much light on the essential conflict between Brustein’s commitment to integration and Wilson’s appeal for separatism. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023

But the fact that the two situations are being compared does not make the comparison very edifying. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 17 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for edifying

• amplifying
• beautifying
• certifying
• clarifying
• classifying
• codifying
• crucifying
• falsifying
• fortifying
• glorifying
• gratifying
• horrifying