How to Use enlightened in a Sentence

enlightened

adjective
  • But this very enlightened, smart friend of mine had bought it and swore by it.
    — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Who knew these two were so enlightened about raisin-to-nut ratios in trail mix?
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2018
  • Kim tries to enjoy it, because that’s the enlightened thing to do.
    — Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 Sep. 2017
  • Soon the world would transform, the ship would take off, and only the enlightened could come along.
    — Alden Woods, azcentral, 18 Apr. 2018
  • The teachers, staff and students took an enlightened view of us as people to learn from and guide.
    — Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2022
  • When Obama did these things, he was described as enlightened.
    — Fabiola Santiago, miamiherald, 12 June 2018
  • Except eighth-grade boys these days are probably way more enlightened.
    — Katie Walsh, latimes.com, 19 Apr. 2018
  • But more enlightened self-interest won out.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Finding the right sofa is a job not even the most enlightened among us can do without a few minor headaches.
    — Liz Stinson, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2019
  • But these were not simply the good-neighbor actions of an enlightened franchise.
    — Peter King, SI.com, 23 Sep. 2017
  • Not to pick on Playboy, though; 2003 was a less enlightened time.
    — William Alden, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2019
  • On the other hand, many policies and practices that are deemed enlightened are already widespread.
    — Robert Samuelson, Twin Cities, 25 Aug. 2019
  • This was a new, and altogether enlightened, view of the spoils of victory.
    — David Von Drehle, Twin Cities, 6 June 2019
  • Here’s hoping the sequel tries something a little more enlightened.
    — Michael Phillips, kansascity, 15 Mar. 2018
  • What has become of our stride for a free and dignified life in an enlightened and peaceful Europe?
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Nov. 2023
  • One was forced to thank Xi every night for the opportunity to be so enlightened.
    — New York Times, 29 Jan. 2020
  • The hug was really the enlightened moment between them, and that was Emma’s idea.
    — Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 21 July 2024
  • Over time, a more enlightened view took hold, and nowadays a person who dies by suicide is seen as a victim of mental illness, not as a felon.
    — D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2021
  • Only the enlightened can escape and discover the world outside.
    — The Economist, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Letting go of the five-day, 8-to-5 workweek has become the norm by more enlightened employers.
    — Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Jamison always writes in the first person, as present as her subjects; the reader is skeptical, enlightened, and moved right along with her.
    — David Canfield, EW.com, 19 Sep. 2019
  • My grandmother from old-world Europe had the wisdom of a Buddha — an enlightened one.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
  • There are more and more enlightened leaders, like Joly, in the American private sector.
    — Peter Georgescu, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2021
  • His is a more enlightened era, but Hannes, lonely and withdrawn, doesn’t share his classmates’ interest in campus sit-ins and free love.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • Stretching your perspective builds a reliable path to an enlightened future.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • But, not to fear, a six-speed manual comes standard for those enlightened enough to appreciate it, complete with the marvelous shifter gates.
    — Stuart Schwartzapfel, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2012
  • Many left-leaning Americans agreed, endorsing this new sense of Canada as a more enlightened safe haven.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
  • In line with enlightened ideas of the time, military engineers were assigned to lay out a precise urban grid which is still visible today.
    — Miquel Ros, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
  • As for how the show will be received, Brown has a healthy outlook — one that a post-therapy, more enlightened Queenie may have embraced.
    — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 11 June 2024
  • This movie, which anchors Reef’s climactic breakthrough to his enlightened decision to stop googling himself.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enlightened.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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