Skip to main content
unenlightened

unenlightened

6 7.0
Not knowing or understanding important information
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnɪnˈlaɪtənd/
translation icon : ignorante
  • Suppose you live in a society which is so unenlightened as to have ruled out euthanasia.
  • an unenlightened woman

So many of the structures are the products of unenlightened states of consciousness.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • However, and thankfully, you seem to be in the minority with your unenlightened views here.

    Blog text (2)
  • A monarch who refuses to keep his word is uncivilized, unenlightened, and, frankly, ungrateful.

  • In this sense, he is unenlightened.

    Academic text (2018)
  • So many of the structures are the products of unenlightened states of consciousness.

  • I'm not part of the unenlightened masses that the museum seeks to reach.

    Academic text (2005)
  • But he whose intellect is still unenlightened thinks that the Holy Scriptures are contradictory.

    Blog text (14)
  • The institutional changes outlined in the article resembled the transition from unenlightened despotism to a constitutional monarchy.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The company's decision to ignore employee feedback showed they were unenlightened about workplace needs.

  • Her unenlightened views about climate change prevented her from supporting necessary environmental policies.

  • Many people remain unenlightened regarding the importance of mental health in overall well-being.

Synonyms

ignorant
vsunenlightened
367 3.7

Not knowing about something or how it works

is the same idea expressed in a different form
blind
vsunenlightened
360 4.9

Not noticing facts or reason because of strong feelings

is a lack of knowledge or awareness rather than an inability to perceive reason
naive
vsunenlightened
312 4.1

Not experienced and too ready to trust others

is a broader absence of knowledge rather than childlike innocence or trust
clueless
vsunenlightened
96 4.3

Not knowing about a subject or how to do something

is less extreme, indicating a general or partial lack of knowledge
uneducated
vsunenlightened
56 2.8

A person who has little or no schooling

focuses on general lack of knowledge rather than education history
uninformed
vsunenlightened
42 3.7

Not knowing about a subject or situation

covers a broader lack of general knowledge or awareness
illiterate
vsunenlightened
16 4.8

Not knowing much about a subject

signals general ignorance beyond lacking knowledge in one specific area
unsophisticated
vsunenlightened
10 4.7

A person who has little experience of the world and seems naive

is about lacking knowledge or awareness rather than lack of refinement
uninitiated
vsunenlightened
8 8.0

People who do not know about a subject or activity

implies broader lack of knowledge beyond a single activity or area
benighted
vsunenlightened
  • Formal
4 9.9

A person who does not have much knowledge or awareness of new ideas

is a neutral lack of knowledge without moral or cultural judgment
undereducated
vsunenlightened
4 4.2

Not having enough schooling to learn basic reading and math

describes broader ignorance not limited to educational quality or quantity
unschooled
vsunenlightened
3 5.5

A person who has no formal education

is broader lack of knowledge beyond absence of formal schooling
untutored
vsunenlightened
3 7.8

Having no formal schooling or lessons

indicates general unawareness rather than only missing private instruction
unknowledgeable
vsunenlightened
1 7.1

Not knowing much about a subject

is broader, implying lack of understanding or awareness beyond facts
unacquainted
vsunenlightened
1 6.5

Not familiar with someone or something

is broader, indicating general lack of knowledge or understanding across areas
unacquainted with
vsunenlightened
1 6.7

Not knowing about something because you have no experience with it

expresses general ignorance across topics rather than unfamiliarity with one thing
untaught
vsunenlightened
1 6.8

A person who has not had school or lessons

is the broader absence of understanding, not only lack of teaching
unstudied
vsunenlightened
1 6.8

Not having much knowledge of a subject

indicates general lack of awareness or understanding beyond study-based gaps
unlearned
vsunenlightened
1 7.7

A person with little education or knowledge about a subject

refers to being uninformed broadly rather than only lacking schooling
nescient
vsunenlightened
  • Archaic
9.9

Not knowing things, often about spiritual matters

refers to lack of ordinary knowledge or awareness rather than spiritual focus
unconversant
vsunenlightened
8.4

Not familiar with a subject or its details

covers general lack of understanding beyond a single subject or area
uninitiate
vsunenlightened
9.9

Not having experience in a subject or activity

refers to general ignorance rather than unfamiliarity with one specific area
unread
vsunenlightened
5.1

A person who knows little about a subject because they have not read about it

describes lack of knowledge not tied to reading but to broader unawareness
uninstructed
vsunenlightened
6.9

Someone who has no training or basic knowledge about a subject

is lack of knowledge more generally, not only missing formal instruction
uncultivated
vsunenlightened
  • Offensive
7.1

A person who has little schooling or interest in the arts

is a general lack of knowledge or awareness, not only cultural polish

Antonyms

62 5.8

Knowing a lot about a situation and thinking fairly about it

How Uninformed

clueless
96 4.3
ignorant
367 3.7
unenlightened
6 7.0
uninformed
42 3.7
unaware
175 2.9

Surface Forms

unenlightened positive

Morphology

unenlightened = enlightened (transparent) = un + enlighten + ed

The adjective is formed by productive negation 'un-' applied to the adjective 'enlightened', yielding the straightforward meaning 'not enlightened/ignorant'.

Etymology

Unenlightened comes from un- ('not') plus enlighten, which has en- ('in') and the common word light and originally meant 'to give light' or 'to make someone understand'. So unenlightened is like 'not given light', and that is why we use it for people or views that are not aware or do not know much about something.