edify

[ ed-uh-fahy ]

verb (used with object)

, ed·i·fied, ed·i·fy·ing.

1. to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift:

   religious paintings that edify the viewer.

edify

/ ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. tr to improve the morality, intellect, etc, of, esp by instruction

Derived Forms

• ˈediˌfyingly, adverb
• ˈediˌfying, adjective
• ˈediˌfier, noun

Other Words From

• ed·i·fi·er noun
• non·ed·i·fied adjective
• re·ed·i·fy verb (used with object) reedified reedifying
• un·ed·i·fied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of edify¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English edifien, from Anglo-French, Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre “to build,” equivalent to aedi- (stem of aedes ) “house, temple” + -ficāre -fy

Word History and Origins

Origin of edify¹

C14: from Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre to construct, from aedēs a dwelling, temple + facere to make

Example Sentences

It’s also a central pillar of the pair’s edifying new sitcom.

From Los Angeles Times

I was doing that job, less than part time, for only a brief period, while for the adults working in the dining hall, it was a more permanent and far less edifying condition.

From New York Times

It’s always such an incredible, edifying experience to be around somebody who is a master at their craft.

From Seattle Times

This may have been a low point, but not even the more edifying moments of the discussion shed much light on the essential conflict between Brustein’s commitment to integration and Wilson’s appeal for separatism.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was such an edifying moment for us both to see the scope of a lifetime of work dedicated to investigating these sets of questions that are formal, conceptual, cultural and material.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• enlighten
• uplift