enlighten
Verb
- make understand
- "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal"
- give spiritual insight to; in religion
- make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear
- To supply with light.
- To make something clear to (someone); to give knowledge or understanding to.
Examples
- Care to enlighten me, if you think I'm so benighted?
- She tried to enlighten them about the rules of the program, but they remained belligerently and self-righteously ignorant.
- The sun enlightens the Earth.
Origin / 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.
Synonyms
clear, clear up, crystalise, crystalize, crystallise, crystallize, edify, elucidate, illuminate, irradiate, shed light on, sort out, straighten out, alight, apprise, belight, beshine, bright, clarify, enlighten, explain, fire, illume, illumine, illustrate, inform, light, light up, lighten, luster, lustrate, notify
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 13
enlighten: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordenlighten: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
enlighten: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary