enlighten
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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When you get a varied body of work, it can enlighten your own life in a way, and that’s a great feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
So can you enlighten us as to the great wisdom Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito share in their own concurrences?
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
“I have committed my life to initiatives related to Stanley’s life and death that can enlighten and support others and save lives,” Lucas said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
"I think in the spirit of the bikers, Dave would want me to continue to have fun and to educate, to inform, to enlighten, to be slightly edgy," he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2024
The sun that lay on Lothlórien had no power to enlighten the shadow of that distant height.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Unfortunately, however, the Netflix series obscures on this issue more than it enlightens.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
Patrick Carone, a former editor at Abercrombie’s quarterly magazine, enlightens viewers on the concept of a mall: “Imagine, like, a search engine that you could walk through.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2022
What it shows us, what it leaves out and which important opportunities it misses are more concerning, all of which are why this hour disappoints more than it enlightens or activate the viewer.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2021
Poverty casts a dark shadow, while love enlightens the ambience.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2019
“You are like he was,” Keith enlightens me, “and just like him, you were most likely to die the same way—a quarter of what you could have been....”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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Marcus’ son, notes Mr. Potter, was nothing like his enlightened father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
You know, if everybody has the same idea and the same belief, we’re never going to learn anything, we’re never going to be enlightened to anything beyond ourselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Are our moneyed men less enlightened to their own interest, or less enterprising in the pursuit?,” the future Treasury secretary wrote External link in 1780.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Quite poorly educated, quite easily misled, perhaps less than enlightened.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
"We follow a policy of enlightened humanitarianism; all our employees are automatically insured. You have only to sign a few papers."
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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Yes, a book about the history of the bond market can be entertaining and enlightening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Together, these records offer a more complex and enlightening account of the Revolution, showing how its consequences were felt far beyond the Thirteen Colonies," Cunningham added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper’s live performance from 2010 is particularly enlightening: the audience becomes audibly excited the moment they recognize the song’s iconic piano hook, a scene that demonstrates “Sunshine’s” immortality.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
With six politicians vying for your attention, these debates can be noisy and argumentative, but they can also be enlightening and influential.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
If enlightening, it is called “having an epiphany.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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Vocabulary lists containing enlighten
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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The Titan's Curse
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