enlightenment

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By a show of hands, this enlightenment was the first of its kind for many in attendance.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun The act or a means of enlightening.
  2. noun The state of being enlightened.
  3. noun A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines and traditions and that brought about many humanitarian reforms. Used with the.

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Examples (47)

  • The distinguished German historian, Heinrich von Treitschke, writes of King Frederick William IV, the predecessor of Emperor William I, as follows He believed in a mysterious enlightenment which is granted von Gottes Gnaden' to kings rather than other mortals. —  William of Germany
  • When one realizes what delusion is, the enlightenment is there.
  • D'Souza uses a typically Catholic style of debate when encountering atheists - i.e. the Catholic church was responsible for the enlightenment, the inquisition was a storm in a teacup, Hitler was an atheist - as was basically any Christian that did bad things and, most importantly, atheism = 20th century state communism. —  Planet Atheism
  • By a show of hands, this enlightenment was the first of its kind for many in attendance. —  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
  • For your enlightenment, here are all of the song's words that I was eventually able to recall. —  Public Address
 

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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/ɛnˈlaɪtnmənt/
by American Heritage

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