Dictionary

enlighten en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɛnˈlaɪtən/
• /ənˈlaɪtən/
• /ɪnˈlaɪtən/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Formerly also inlighten, from Middle English enlightenen, inlightnen, a hybrid formed from inlighten (“to enlighten, illuminate”), from Old English inlīhtan, onlīhtan, enlīhtan (“to enlighten, illuminate, give light to, give sight to”) and lightnen (“to enlighten, illuminate”) (equivalent to light + -en). Cognate with Dutch inlichten (“to enlighten, inform”), Old High German inliuhten (“to enlighten, illuminate”), Gothic 𐌹𐌽𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (inliuhtjan, “to enlighten, illuminate”). More at inlight, -en.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To supply with light.
   • The sun enlightens the Earth.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To make something clear to (someone); to give knowledge or understanding to.
   • She tried to enlighten them about the rules of the program, but they remained belligerently and self-righteously ignorant.
   • Rather than focus on true-to-life drama that might have enlightened viewers, the BBC, frightened by Tory politicians’ threats to its very existence, concentrated its dramatic output on inaccurate historical soap operas, that falsified the view of our past. 2016 October 30, Bernie Evans, “The big issue: where the true blame lies for our dangerous politics of hate”, in The Guardian:
   • I'm in jail for what I hope will be a short stay and really quite lonely. If there are any who would care to correspond, I will be greatly pleased and will try to enlighten any and all to the hardships we have in prison. 1976 August 21, Donald Dougherty, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 8, page 13:
   • As your reviewer showed, the purpose of the translator and publishers is to help along the labor movement by furnishing a lesson from the past to enlighten the movement of to-day. 1904 August 27, John Hossack, “The Mysteries of the People”, in New York Times:
   • Care to enlighten me, if you think I'm so benighted?
   • There was a warning sulkiness in the manner of this speech, which admonished Mr Pecksniff that his dear friend was not to be trifled with or fenced off, and that he must either return a straight–forward reply to his question, or plainly give him to understand that he declined to enlighten him upon the subject to which it referred. 1844, Charles Dickens, chapter 20, in Martin Chuzzlewit:

Forms

Antonyms

endarken

Deriveds

enlightener · enlightenment · enlightenable

Relateds

elucidate · lighten

Synonyms

illuminate · irradiate · illuminate · explain · bright · belight · alight · enlighten · notify · illumine · illustrate · illumine · clarify · lustrate · light · apprise · illume · inform · light up · lighten · edify · beshine · luster · fire · shed light on

Translations (51)

pl oświecać (to supply with light) · pl uświadamiać (to make clear to the intellect) · hu kivilágít (to supply with light) · ky агартуу (to make clear to the intellect) · lij illüminò (to supply with light) · pl uświadamiać (to supply with light) · gl alumear (to make clear to the intellect) · ru просвети́ть (to make clear to the intellect) · es alumbrar (to supply with light) · eo prilumi (to supply with light) · hu megvilágít (to supply with light) · gl alumear (to supply with light) · tr aydınlatmak (to supply with light) · eo lumigi (to supply with light) · tl maliwanagan (to make clear to the intellect) · fi valistaa (to make clear to the intellect) · uk просвіща́ти (to make clear to the intellect) · uk просвіти́ти (to make clear to the intellect) · it illuminare (to supply with light) · pt iluminar (to make clear to the intellect) · sv upplysa (to make clear to the intellect) · pl oświecać (to make clear to the intellect) · sq ndriçoj (to supply with light) · sv belysa (to supply with light) · ru освети́ть (to supply with light) · ro ilumina (to supply with light) · pt iluminar (to supply with light) · es esclarecer (to supply with light) · ro lămuri (to make clear to the intellect) · fr éclairer (to supply with light) · fr informer (to make clear to the intellect) · es esclarecer (to make clear to the intellect) · fi valaista (to supply with light) · vi làm sáng tỏ (to supply with light) · ru осведоми́ть (to make clear to the intellect) · de aufklären (to make clear to the intellect) · bg осветявам (to supply with light) · el φωτίζω (to supply with light) · bg осведомявам (to make clear to the intellect) · es alumbrar (to make clear to the intellect) · tr bilgilendirmek (to make clear to the intellect) · ru освеща́ть (to supply with light) · el διαφωτίζω (to make clear to the intellect) · fr éclairer (to make clear to the intellect) · hu felvilágosít (to make clear to the intellect) · ru осведомля́ть (to make clear to the intellect) · pt esclarecer (to make clear to the intellect) · cs osvítit (to make clear to the intellect) · ru просвеща́ть (to make clear to the intellect) · he האיר (to make clear to the intellect) · he האיר (to supply with light)