1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

edification

noun

Definition of edificationnext
as in education
the process by which one gains a greater understanding of something They showed the children films that provided edification and not just entertainment.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of edification Many of the finer points of a Parmigiani Fleurier watch, then, are purely for the edification and enjoyment of a cultured clientele with enough knowledge and refinement to appreciate the details. — Nancy Olson, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 Florida's original theme park has overcome the towering shadow of its younger peers in Orlando and remains a haven, if even by accident, for tourists seeking marine edification. — Peter Burke, Fox News, 11 Sep. 2024 But for his own figural edification, Degas made lots of small sculptures, mostly of dancers, horses and bathers, subjects that also populated his paintings. — Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024 All edifications, criticism, and conclusions cannot keep us from his strange spell. — Joy Williams, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for edification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for edification
  1. education
  2. culture
  3. literacy
  4. enlightenment
  5. learning
  6. reading
Noun
  • Among the grants that were eliminated, frozen or delayed were ones related to maternal health in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and assistance to minority farmers in Iowa, the researchers found.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • For a woman who stopped her formal education after two years of high school, this was extraordinary.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of education
Noun
  • Ambivalence is a story of solitude, patience, and faith—qualities that contemporary culture seems to militate against.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker are building on Paul Walker’s legacy of philanthropy via this celebration of car culture.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of culture
Noun
  • Thierry Frémaux, Cannes Film Festival chief, stressed that instruction in media literacy is crucial.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Gress said literacy coaches would need to shift their roles to be more involved inside classrooms and fit with the measure's definition.
    — Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of literacy
Noun
  • Jack Kerouac sought enlightenment there; his compatriot Neal Cassady was imprisoned there, in San Quentin.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • What results is a breathless biography of one man’s quest for scientific enlightenment in the age of AI.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of enlightenment
Noun
  • The learning can happen with rainbow parachutes, scooter boards, Hippity Hops — and now, bicycles.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Its internal My Assistant tool helps corporate associates summarize documents, draft content and prepare analyses, acting as a day-to-day partner instead of a separate learning portal.
    — Russell Sarder, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of learning
Noun
  • Rarely has a film so resourcefully evoked the transportive but decidedly analog thrill of reading; rarely has the warmly musty smell of research libraries and archives somehow wafted with such sense-memory precision off a cinema screen.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Our full events calendar, which continues to grow, also features community workshops, silent reading clubs and more.
    — Aaron Reiss, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of reading

Browse Nearby Words

edicts
edification
edifice
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Edification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/edification. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All