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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Some of those eagerly sought to enlighten their charges, while a few others grew to see – or claimed to see – an unbridgeable chasm between the ivory tower and mass cultural aspiration.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
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 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
Was it not their duty to enlighten others?
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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Unfortunately, however, the Netflix series obscures on this issue more than it enlightens.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
There's not a lot of focus on music that enlightens people, and that carries over to other products as well.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2023
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
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
“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
You might be tempted, with every faraway look in Christian Petzold’s subtly moving “Miroirs No. 3,” to hope for that soothing, enlightened release so often served as catharsis in tales of loss and healing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
He had me put in the Mabel Mercer tape and then enlightened me about her meticulous phrasing.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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"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
When it comes to a familiar figure, the museum “stakes out enlightening new ground,” according to our critic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 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
I pretended to agree with everything as if this was new and enlightening.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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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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