as in benighted
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Recent Examples of unenlightened
By today’s standards, looking for a single ideal of beauty feels antiquated and unenlightened.
—
Rhonda Garelick, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
Both novels engage with the ways that ostensibly academic conversations, like the riverside chats that stud Brideshead or the Greek classes with Julian in The Secret History, can hold erotic subtexts whose meaning might elude the unenlightened eavesdropper.
—Jo Livingstone, The New Republic, 22 Oct. 2021
Today, many scholars dismiss the imperialist, racist logics propounded by the founders of modern international relations theory as merely reflecting the prejudices of an unenlightened era: sins not egregious enough to diminish the value of the sinners’ good works.
—Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
Some supporters say that opinion is culturally unenlightened, as rabbit, common in grocery stores and markets in Europe, is a traditional staple in the diets of many foreign countries, and thousands of natives of those countries now live in Connecticut.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 21 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unenlightened
Rhonda Garelick, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
Both novels engage with the ways that ostensibly academic conversations, like the riverside chats that stud Brideshead or the Greek classes with Julian in The Secret History, can hold erotic subtexts whose meaning might elude the unenlightened eavesdropper.
—Jo Livingstone, The New Republic, 22 Oct. 2021
Today, many scholars dismiss the imperialist, racist logics propounded by the founders of modern international relations theory as merely reflecting the prejudices of an unenlightened era: sins not egregious enough to diminish the value of the sinners’ good works.
—Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
Some supporters say that opinion is culturally unenlightened, as rabbit, common in grocery stores and markets in Europe, is a traditional staple in the diets of many foreign countries, and thousands of natives of those countries now live in Connecticut.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 21 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unenlightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unenlightened
Adjective
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That said, the inclusion of out-of-home impressions to the national TV sample in autumn 2020 and the subsequent expansion of Nielsen’s OOH measurement have helped the NCAA’s media partners claw back a good deal of deliveries that would have been otherwise ignored in a more benighted era.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
25 Mar. 2025
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And, of course, speedily deport those who misbehave. — George W. Price, Chicago Our benighted states The only renaming of place that is called for in this age of Donald Trump is the United States of America.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And jingoism, idiotic, is not patriotism.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
7 Mar. 2025
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But, here, the characters suffer from the horror film syndrome of making one idiotic decision after another because that’s what the film requires to send the action in its intended direction.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent.—
Daniel Burke,
NPR,
9 May 2025
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The show and its participants were even parodied on Saturday Night Live in January, with comedian Ego Nwodim playing Amuli, and other cast members mocking people’s poor conversation skills and unintelligent dating decisions.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Catholic Church openly collaborated with the Ustaše, whose support came largely from young men with rural, blue-collar, uneducated backgrounds.—
Larry Luxner,
Sun Sentinel,
5 May 2025
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Look, the game is about first impressions and making decisions that are sort of uneducated.—
Michael Cuby,
Them.,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Problematic to be sure, but also a very in-character move for an ignorant buffoon.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Time,
6 May 2025
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But here's a reminder for us: casual cruelty, performed by ignorant fascists.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unenlightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unenlightened. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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