Meaning & Definition of Enlightenment in English

1. Education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge

2. (hinduism and buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation

• Characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness

3. A movement in europe from about 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine

• "The enlightenment brought about many humanitarian reforms"