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

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

For all its limitations, that work felt full and rich and edifying, and real. —Tracy Kidder, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023

Selecting an architect is, or should be, an edifying and enjoyable project. —Dallas News, 23 Jan. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above