enlighten


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en·light·en

 (ĕn-līt′n)
tr.v. en·light·ened, en·light·en·ing, en·light·ens
1. To give spiritual or intellectual insight to: "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day" (Thomas Jefferson).
2. To give information to; inform or instruct.

en·light′en·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

enlighten

(ɪnˈlaɪtən)
vb (tr)
1. to give information or understanding to; instruct; edify
2. to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition
3. to give spiritual or religious revelation to
4. poetic to shed light on
enˈlightener n
enˈlightening adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

en•light•en

(ɛnˈlaɪt n)

v.t.
1. to give intellectual or spiritual understanding to; impart knowledge to: to enlighten students.
2. to free of ignorance, false beliefs, or prejudice.
[1350–1400]
en•light′en•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

enlighten


Past participle: enlightened
Gerund: enlightening

Imperative
enlighten
enlighten
Present
I enlighten
you enlighten
he/she/it enlightens
we enlighten
you enlighten
they enlighten
Preterite
I enlightened
you enlightened
he/she/it enlightened
we enlightened
you enlightened
they enlightened
Present Continuous
I am enlightening
you are enlightening
he/she/it is enlightening
we are enlightening
you are enlightening
they are enlightening
Present Perfect
I have enlightened
you have enlightened
he/she/it has enlightened
we have enlightened
you have enlightened
they have enlightened
Past Continuous
I was enlightening
you were enlightening
he/she/it was enlightening
we were enlightening
you were enlightening
they were enlightening
Past Perfect
I had enlightened
you had enlightened
he/she/it had enlightened
we had enlightened
you had enlightened
they had enlightened
Future
I will enlighten
you will enlighten
he/she/it will enlighten
we will enlighten
you will enlighten
they will enlighten
Future Perfect
I will have enlightened
you will have enlightened
he/she/it will have enlightened
we will have enlightened
you will have enlightened
they will have enlightened
Future Continuous
I will be enlightening
you will be enlightening
he/she/it will be enlightening
we will be enlightening
you will be enlightening
they will be enlightening
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been enlightening
you have been enlightening
he/she/it has been enlightening
we have been enlightening
you have been enlightening
they have been enlightening
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been enlightening
you will have been enlightening
he/she/it will have been enlightening
we will have been enlightening
you will have been enlightening
they will have been enlightening
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been enlightening
you had been enlightening
he/she/it had been enlightening
we had been enlightening
you had been enlightening
they had been enlightening
Conditional
I would enlighten
you would enlighten
he/she/it would enlighten
we would enlighten
you would enlighten
they would enlighten
Past Conditional
I would have enlightened
you would have enlightened
he/she/it would have enlightened
we would have enlightened
you would have enlightened
they would have enlightened
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.enlighten - make understand; "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal"
instruct, teach, learn - impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat"
2.enlighten - give spiritual insight to; in religion
prophesy, vaticinate - predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
3.enlighten - make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault"
clarify, clear up, elucidate - make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

enlighten

verb inform, tell, teach, advise, counsel, educate, instruct, illuminate, make aware, edify, apprise, let know, cause to understand Their aim is to enlighten the public about the situation.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

enlighten

verb
1. To enable (one) to understand, especially in a spiritual sense:
2. To impart information to:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُنَوِّر
osvítit
oplyse
valistaa
felvilágosít
fræîa, upplÿsa
apsišvietęsapsišvietimasapšviestiapšvietimas
apgaismotinformēt
pojasniti
aydınlatmakbilgi vermek

enlighten

[ɪnˈlaɪtn] VT (= inform) → informar, instruir (Rel) (frm) → iluminar
can you enlighten me?¿puedes explicármelo or aclarármelo?
to enlighten sb about or on sth (= inform) → poner a algn al corriente de algo; (= clarify) → aclarar algo a algn
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

enlighten

[ɪnˈlaɪtən] vt [+ person] → éclairer
to enlighten sb on sth → éclairer qn sur qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

enlighten

vtaufklären (→ on, as to, about über +acc); (spiritually) → erleuchten; let me enlighten youdarf ich es Ihnen erklären?
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

enlighten

[ɪnˈlaɪtn] vt (inform) to enlighten sb (about or on sth)illuminare qn (su qc)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

enlighten

(inˈlaitn) verb
to give more information to (a person). Will someone please enlighten me as to what is happening?
enˈlightened adjective
wise through knowledge; free from prejudice. an enlightened headmaster; an enlightened decision.
enˈlightenment noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
General Morgan will be able to enlighten us on this point."
I felt strongly tempted, at times, to enlighten my mother and sister on the real character and circumstances of the persecuted tenant of Wildfell Hall, and at first I greatly regretted having omitted to ask that lady's permission to do so; but, on due reflection, I considered that if it were known to them, it could not long remain a secret to the Millwards and Wilsons, and such was my present appreciation of Eliza Millward's disposition, that, if once she got a clue to the story, I should fear she would soon find means to enlighten Mr.
I suspect that the large, mild boy, the son of a neighboring farmer, who mainly shared our games, had but a dim notion of what I meant by my strange people, but I did my best to enlighten him, and he helped me make a dream out of my life, and did his best to dwell in the region of unrealities where I preferably had my being; he was from time to time a Moor when I think he would rather have been a Mingo.
Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
It is in vain to say that enlightened statesmen will be able to adjust these clashing interests, and render them all subservient to the public good.
In merely resuming his own the author hopes to be held guiltless by those to whom the work is addressed -- enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang.
If it had been found impracticable to have devised models of a more perfect structure, the enlightened friends to liberty would have been obliged to abandon the cause of that species of government as indefensible.
Oh, tell me, who was it first announced, who was it first proclaimed, that man only does nasty things because he does not know his own interests; and that if he were enlightened, if his eyes were opened to his real normal interests, man would at once cease to do nasty things, would at once become good and noble because, being enlightened and understanding his real advantage, he would see his own advantage in the good and nothing else, and we all know that not one man can, consciously, act against his own interests, consequently, so to say, through necessity, he would begin doing good?
I want to be enlightened on a subject; then, when I shall have learned what I desire to know, I will withdraw."
The grief and consternation of Kory-Kory, in particular, was unbounded; he threw himself into a perfect paroxysm of gestures which were intended to convey to us not only his abhorrence of Nukuheva and its uncivilized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that after becoming acquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince the least desire to withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable society.
"In these enlightened times, Captain Helding, we only believe in dancing tables, and in messages sent from the other world by spirits who can't spell!
Not a person, not a piece of property, not a winder, not a horse, nor a dog, nor a cat, nor a bird, nor a fowl, nor a pig, but what he stoned, for want of an enlightened object.