Enlighten — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

make understand

give spiritual insight to; in religion

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɛnlˈaɪʔn̩/

🇬🇧British English

/ɛnlˈaɪtən/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɛnlˈaɪtən/

3 syllables Say it as /ɛnlˈaɪʔn̩/.

Examples

Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal
Could you clarify these remarks?
Clear up the question of who is at fault

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

edify clear up irradiate crystallise sort out clear straighten out illuminate elucidate shed light on crystalise crystalize crystallize

Parts of Speech

verb	make understand “Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal”
verb	give spiritual insight to; in religion
verb	make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear “Could you clarify these remarks?”

Word Forms

enlightenment	noun	education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge
edification	noun	uplifting enlightenment
illumination	noun	an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding
elucidative	adjective	that makes clear
lucidity	noun	a lucid state of mind; not confused
elucidation	noun	an act of explaining that serves to clear up and cast light on

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

erleuchten

verständlich machen

🇫🇷French

éclairer

faire comprendre

🇪🇸Spanish

iluminar

hacer entender

🇮🇹Italian

illuminare

far capire

🇳🇱Dutch

verlichten

duidelijk maken

🇵🇹Portuguese

esclarecer

fazer entender

🇷🇺Russian

просветить

втолковывать

India

🇮🇳Hindi

सूचित करना

समझाओ

🇧🇩Bengali

আলোকিত করা

বোঝানো

🇮🇳Tamil

அறிவூட்டு

புரிய வைக்க

🇮🇳Telugu

జ్ఞానోదయం

అర్థం చేసుకోండి

🇮🇳Marathi

ज्ञान देणे

समजून घेणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

જ્ઞાન આપવું

સમજવું

🇮🇳Kannada

ತಿಳಿಗೊಳಿಸು

ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പ്രബുദ്ധമാക്കുക

മനസ്സിലാക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਗਿਆਨ ਦੇਣਾ

ਸਮਝਾਉਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

روشن کرنا

سمجھنا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

开导

使明白

🇯🇵Japanese

啓発する

理解させる

🇰🇷Korean

밝히다

이해하게 하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

soi sáng

làm cho hiểu

🇹🇭Thai

ให้ความกระจ่าง

ทำให้เข้าใจ

🇮🇩Indonesian

mencerahkan

membuat mengerti

🇵🇭Filipino

maliwanagan

ipaunawa

🇲🇾Malay

memberi pencerahan

buat faham

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تنوير

جعل فهم

🇮🇷Persian

روشن کردن

فهمیدن

🇹🇷Turkish

aydınlatmak

anlamasını sağlamak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַאִיר

לגרום להבין

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'enlighten'?

The primary meaning of 'enlighten' is 'make understand'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'enlighten' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'enlighten' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'enlighten' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'enlighten' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

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