the Enlightenment

noun

: a movement of the 18th century that stressed the belief that science and logic give people more knowledge and understanding than tradition and religion

Examples of the Enlightenment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even at the height of the Enlightenment in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when waves took up much of the scientific discourse, the ocean always seemed to have the last word. —Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025

Mokyr's research suggests that Britain was different because, essentially, the Brits operationalized the Enlightenment in the real economy more than other nations. —NPR, 14 Oct. 2025

Mamdani majored in Africana studies and wrote his thesis on the post-colonial theorist Frantz Fanon and the Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. —Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025

That’s important because before the Enlightenment, few people recognized even the brainy basics. —Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025