enlighten
enlighten Lexical Profile
enlighten Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To provide someone with greater knowledge, understanding, or insight into a subject; to free from ignorance or prejudice.
"The professor's lecture helped to enlighten the students on the complexities of international law."
To give spiritual or religious insight and wisdom to someone.
"Years of meditation and study sought to enlighten the monks on the nature of existence."
To shed physical light upon; to illuminate (archaic or literary).
"The rising sun began to enlighten the eastern horizon."
• Rhymes for enlighten
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from the prefix en- and the verb lighten, derived from Old English leoht ('light, brightness'). Originally meaning 'to illuminate physically', its figurative sense of imparting spiritual or intellectual understanding became dominant in the 17th century.