enlightenment
noun
en·light·en·ment
in-ˈlī-tᵊn-mənt 
en-
1
: the act or means of enlightening : the state of being enlightened
2
capitalized
: a philosophical movement of the 18th century marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism
—used with the
3
Buddhism
: a final blessed state marked by the absence of desire or suffering
Examples of enlightenment in a Sentence
the search for spiritual enlightenment
His comments failed to provide enlightenment.
the enlightenment of the public through education
Recent Examples on the Web
Elsewhere, Tory Burch found enlightenment in a midcentury Jules Olitski sculpture, and designer Colleen Allen lit a candlestick to photograph through an opal, conjuring ideas of witchcraft.
—
Ari Stark, WWD, 4 Feb. 2025
Venus sextile Uranus brings unexpected enlightenment and liberation Comments
The winds of change are blowing!
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The crawl from one to the other matters as much as the enlightenment itself—skipping the charnel grounds isn’t an option.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
That this apparent enlightenment leads to bloody basement fistfights is among the film’s core ironies.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for enlightenment 
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Ari Stark, WWD, 4 Feb. 2025
Venus sextile Uranus brings unexpected enlightenment and liberation Comments
The winds of change are blowing!
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The crawl from one to the other matters as much as the enlightenment itself—skipping the charnel grounds isn’t an option.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
That this apparent enlightenment leads to bloody basement fistfights is among the film’s core ironies.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for enlightenment
Dictionary Entries Near enlightenment
Cite this Entry
“Enlightenment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enlightenment. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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