Meaning & use
enlightenment
A state of having greater knowledge or spiritual understanding, especially freedom from ignorance.
See it in a sentence
The monk spent decades meditating in search of enlightenment.
Reading widely brought her a kind of enlightenment about her own hidden biases.
A note on using this word
Capitalized as 'the Enlightenment,' the word names a specific European historical period; lowercase, it describes personal awakening.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. proper noun
A 17th- and 18th-century European intellectual movement that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over tradition.
Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire championed reason over superstition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “enlightenment”, then compare your use with the examples above.