Everyday · Philosophy & belief
Enlightenment: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Enlightenment noun. The state of understanding something clearly, or in Buddhism a final awakening that frees one from suffering.
How to say it
in-LY-tun-munt/ɪnˈlaɪt(ə)nm(ə)nt/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (LY). Forms: Enlightenment.
Meanings
- The state of understanding something clearly, or in Buddhism a final awakening that frees one from suffering.
- The Enlightenment: the 18th-century movement in Europe that championed reason, science and individual rights.
Enlightenment in a sentence
Thirty years of meditation and he said enlightenment still felt a long way off.
Salons of the Enlightenment buzzed with arguments about liberty, science and doubt.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- awakening
- insight
- illumination
- understanding
Opposite:
- ignorance
Where enlightenment comes from
From enlighten, to shed light on; the Buddhist sense translates Sanskrit bodhi, awakening.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Salons of the _____ buzzed with arguments about liberty, science and doubt.
- nescience
- enlightenment
- karma
Show the answer
enlightenment: Salons of the Enlightenment buzzed with arguments about liberty, science and doubt.