enlightening

en·light·en·ing | \ in-ˈlīt-niŋ

How to pronounce enlightening (audio)

, -ˈlī-tᵊn-iŋ, en- \

Definition of enlightening

: providing or tending to provide knowledge, understanding, or insight a very enlightening discussion … he takes readers on enlightening excursions through the nature of Judaism, Hegelian philosophy, wherever his curiosity heads.— George Johnson

Other Words from enlightening Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about enlightening

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Examples of enlightening in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Recently, the star of The Lion King gave an enlightening interview to ELLE magazine. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Beyoncé's Strapless Velvet Gown Features a Leg Slit Reaching Up to Her Hip," 15 Dec. 2019 Good luck in the next exciting and enlightening chapter of your life. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, "Catherine Zeta-Jones Enjoys Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Son Dylan, 19," 29 Nov. 2019 The scientific approach taken to analysing different possible solutions to the various aspects of poverty is very enlightening. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "What India’s startup bosses read in 2019 and how it helped them," 30 Dec. 2019 The author, a lifelong Detroit resident, renders an enlightening and often surprising story of the city’s seminal moments and pivotal turning points in the history of the Motor City. — John J. Kelly, Detroit Free Press, "Holiday gift guide 2019: The best books that will inspire and delight readers," 7 Dec. 2019 But behind all that chrome lurk some entertaining and enlightening back-stories about post-war America and the fates and whims of the nation’s automakers. — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, "Goodies will give your favorite automotive enthusiast some thrills," 29 Nov. 2019 Rocky Lang and Barbara Hall’s new book Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking (Abrams) brings together some enlightening examples of that phenomenon. — Barbara Hall, Time, "Read Frank Sinatra's 1945 Letter on Why Movies Are the 'Most Effective Weapon' Against Discrimination," 1 Oct. 2019 Evans duplicates this exercise by cutting to black while Dugdale verbally rattles off random things, and the effect is nothing short of enlightening. — Nick Schager, chicagotribune.com, "‘Vision Portraits’ review: A study of talented artists struggling with different levels of vision loss," 18 Sep. 2019 There are so many new techniques and traffic designs now available that a brush-up course would be enlightening. — cleveland.com, "Vintage MarketPlace attracts visitors from afar: Olmsted Dates and Data," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enlightening.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about enlightening

Dictionary Entries near enlightening

enlightened self-interest

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Last Updated

12 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Enlightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enlightening. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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