enlightening
adjective
en·light·en·ing
in-ˈlīt-niŋ 
-ˈlī-tᵊn-iŋ,
en-
: providing or tending to provide knowledge, understanding, or insight
a very enlightening discussion
… he takes readers on enlightening excursions through the nature of Judaism, Hegelian philosophy, wherever his curiosity heads.—
George Johnson
George Johnson
enlighteningly
adverb
Examples of enlightening in a Sentence
an enlightening pamphlet about the major changes that consumers can expect from their cable and Internet service providers
Recent Examples on the Web
The channel’s deluge of dreck reflects the slop-saturation of the music world but twists it into something oddly enlightening, with a sense of curation difficult to put into words.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 23 July 2025
These conversations are always enlightening, revealing a different level of creative thinking.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The trio’s most enlightening conversation centered around looking at watches as investments.
—John Lawson, Essence, 7 July 2025
But Grandin has a knack for enlivening theory with anecdotes that are both enlightening and appalling.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlightening
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 23 July 2025
These conversations are always enlightening, revealing a different level of creative thinking.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The trio’s most enlightening conversation centered around looking at watches as investments.
—John Lawson, Essence, 7 July 2025
But Grandin has a knack for enlivening theory with anecdotes that are both enlightening and appalling.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlightening
Cite this Entry
“Enlightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enlightening. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share