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

enlighteningly adverb

Synonyms

• educational
• educative
• illuminating
• informational
• informative
• informatory
• instructional
• instructive

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

But one particular session was highly enlightening from VC Jeremiah Owyang of Blitzscaling Ventures. —Tim Bajarin, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

As polarizing or enlightening as that might be, Creed seems to be along for the meme ride. —James Pero, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024

This comes with profound clarity and enlightening breakthroughs, so be sure to harness this transit wisely, personally or romantically. —Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2024

Greengrass’s attempts to wrap a political statement up in Bourne clothing is awkward and jarring, and the movie is more preachy and hectoring than particularly enlightening. —Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined above