enlightenment

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.

“O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous,” Voltaire, the 18th-century French enlightenment philosopher, himself known for his bons mots, once wrote, adding: “God granted my prayer.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

In one tense scene with her white colleagues, Cosey winces at their version of historical enlightenment — the reclamation project is moving at a horse-drawn carriage’s pace.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

Although rooted in writings of the 18th-century European enlightenment, these ideas sprouted in the American soil of an expanding frontier where economic opportunities fed and were fed by political independence, legal liberties and social equality.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

But “The Singing Word: 168 Years of Poetry from The Atlantic” is lovely, both as a collection and in the pleasure and enlightenment readers will derive from individual poems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Elegance is a small price to pay for enlightenment, and I was glad to pay it.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin