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 the most enlightening part of the book was its recounting of California’s uphill struggle to get the rest of America to care about smog. —Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024

Exploring new territory can be inspiring and enlightening. —Karla Walsh, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined above