enlightenment

[ en-lahyt-n-muhnt ]

noun

1. the act of enlightening.
2. the state of being enlightened:

   to live in spiritual enlightenment.

3. (usually initial capital letter) Buddhism, Hinduism. prajna.
4. the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

enlightenment

¹

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. the act or means of enlightening or the state of being enlightened
2. Buddhism the awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations to which all men are otherwise subject
3. Hinduism a state of transcendent divine experience represented by Vishnu: regarded as a goal of all religion

Enlightenment

²

/ ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt /

noun

1. the Enlightenment
   an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions

Enlightenment

1. An intellectual movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries marked by a celebration of the powers of human reason, a keen interest in science, the promotion of religious toleration, and a desire to construct governments free of tyranny. Some of the major figures of the Enlightenment were David Hume , Immanuel Kant , John Locke , the Baron de Montesquieu , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , and Voltaire .

Other Words From

• preen·lighten·ment noun
• reen·lighten·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of enlightenment¹

First recorded in 1660–70; enlighten + -ment

Example Sentences

Such calls would have been out of step with the budding American Enlightenment liberal tradition.

From Salon

The Enlightenment notion of promoting “the common good” predates even the United States itself.

From Salon

It allows people to say they're censoring to protect the liberal values of the Enlightenment.

From Salon

The magnitude of this transformation is akin to that from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, from the medieval mind to the modern mind.

From Salon

But for the upcoming novel, she cites the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• awareness
• civilization
• insight
• literacy
• sophistication
• understanding
• wisdom