Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of enlighten

22 similar words · 1 opposite word

Another word for enlighten is light. Other synonyms of enlighten are fire and irradiate. The opposite of enlighten is endarken.

Synonyms and similar words for enlighten

verbTo supply with light.

  • illumineTo enlighten (someone) spiritually; to induce (someone) to adopt, or believe in the truth of, a religion, religious...
  • illuminate
  • belight
  • beshine dialectal
  • brightOften followed by up: to cast light on (someone or something); to brighten, to illuminate.
  • fireTo light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
  • irradiateTo make (someone or something) bright by shining light on them or it; to brighten, to illuminate.
  • lightTo illuminate; to provide light for when it is dark.
  • lightenTo illuminate with knowledge.
  • light upTo illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten.
  • shed light onTo illuminate; to make clear.
  • alight archaicTo cast light on (something); to illuminate, to light up.
  • illume archaicTo throw or spread light upon; to make light or bright.
  • illustrate obsoleteTo shed light upon.
  • luster obsolete
  • lustrate obsolete

verbTo make something clear to (someone); to give knowledge or understanding to.

Opposite of enlighten

verbTo supply with light.

Meaning of enlighten

  1. verb To supply with light.
  2. verb To make something clear to (someone); to give knowledge or understanding to.

Full definition of enlighten

enlighten in other languages

Questions about synonyms of enlighten

What is another word for enlighten?
Enlighten has 22 synonyms on Word.ws, such as light, fire and irradiate.
What is the opposite of enlighten?
The opposite of enlighten is endarken.
What does enlighten mean?
Enlighten means to supply with light.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: enlighten (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of enlighten.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/enlighten. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.