Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Aufklärung movement

Aufklärung movement

9.9
A European movement, mostly in Germany, in the 1700s that supported reason and individual rights
  • noun
  • /ɔːfˈklɛrʊŋ ˈmuːvmənt/
  • Formal
translation icon : movimiento de la Ilustración
  • The Aufklärung movement in the 18th century championed the use of reason as the foundation for knowledge.

Examples

  • The Aufklärung movement spread ideas of rationality and criticism throughout German society.

  • Universities played a crucial role in the Aufklärung movement by fostering free inquiry and debate.

  • Many prominent philosophers contributed to the development of the Aufklärung movement.

  • The Aufklärung movement greatly influenced modern philosophy.

  • Many ideas from the Aufklärung movement are still relevant today.

  • Key figures of the Aufklärung movement advocated for individual rights and the importance of critical thought.

  • The principles of the Aufklärung movement laid the groundwork for modern democratic ideals in Europe.

Synonyms

Enlightenment
vsAufklärung movement
34 6.3

A European movement in the late 1600s and 1700s that values reason and questions old beliefs

is the German 18th-century branch that stresses individual rights and critical thought
Age of Enlightenment
vsAufklärung movement
1 5.8

A European movement that uses reason and science to question old beliefs and support people's rights

is the narrower German 18th-century movement emphasizing rights and critical thinking

Surface Forms

Aufklärung movement singular
Aufklärung movements plural

Morphology

Aufklärung + movement

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'Aufklärung' corresponds to German 'Enlightenment' and combined with English 'movement' yields 'Enlightenment movement', so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning. Note that 'Aufklärung' is a German loanword and may be unknown to many learners, but given knowledge of the constituent meanings the MWE's sense is predictable.

Etymology

Aufklärung movement comes from the German word Aufklärung, which literally means 'clearing up' or making things clear, like light lifting fog. This image of light revealing what was hidden helps explain why the movement in the 1700s used reason and free thinking, so the term now names the historical movement for 'reason' and individual rights.