enlightening

adjective

en·​light·​en·​ing in-ˈlīt-niŋ 

-ˈlī-tᵊn-iŋ,

en-

: 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

enlighteningly adverb

Synonyms

• instructive
• informative
• educational
• educative
• instructional
• informational
• illuminating

Examples of enlightening in a Sentence

an enlightening pamphlet about the major changes that consumers can expect from their cable and Internet service providers

Recent Examples on the Web

The offense is not the integrity of the GDP number but that there’s a better, more comprehensive, more enlightening diagnostic tool for measuring the true health of the economy. —Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Becoming a new mom has been enlightening, occasionally chaotic, but always rewarding. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

For more recent history, the Ta’ Kola and Xewkija windmills are open to the public and offer an enlightening insight into a simpler time. —AFAR Media, 28 Aug. 2025

No other piece of music this year so eloquently captured fin de siècle wariness, the gnawing sense that a new, scary, and potentially enlightening world may be only two years away. —Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for enlightening

• brightening
• frightening
• heightening
• lightening
• tightening
• whitening