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edification

edification

7 7.4
Learning that improves the mind or character
  • noun
  • /ˌɛdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : edificación
  • Most consumer magazines are read either for amusement or edification, or both.
  • moral edification
  • public edification
  • spiritual edification

So I think Americans are fundamentally decent, but but they really need edification about the state of their children.

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Examples

  • Apparently, he was to hold forth for the edification of the faculty and their colleagues at neighboring institutions.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The lecture was designed for the edification of students, aiming to enhance their moral understanding.

  • For her personal edification, of course.

  • For your edification, I have prepared a short film... ...which I hope will give you some idea of the nature of the creatures we face.

  • For many organizations, the rationale for their involvement was the edification of their staff and members.

    Academic text (1992)
  • You read it to be healed, to find spiritual edification, and to understand God's laws.

    Blog text (1)
  • Monks should not focus on the edification of the church to the detriment of their other ascetic efforts.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Ladies and gentlemen, I suppose you've noticed that this is a clay forest, and the forest has been manufactured for your edification by none other than Bruce Bickford.

  • She reads classic literature not just for enjoyment, but for her intellectual edification as well.

  • Many people attend seminars for their professional edification, hoping to gain new insights in their field.

Synonyms

education
vsedification
1.0

Learning knowledge and skills, often at school or university

aims specifically for moral or intellectual improvement rather than formal training
enlightenment
vsedification
22 5.1

Gaining new knowledge and understanding, often from study or experience

focuses on deliberate moral or intellectual improvement rather than sudden insight

Antonyms

316 3.9

Not knowing about something or how it works

36 4.6

A situation where people lose moral principles and act badly

How Edifying

enlightenment
22 5.1
edification
  • Formal
7 7.4
education
572 1.0
instruction
141 1.9
information
1.0

Surface Forms

edification singular
edifications plural

Morphology

edification = edify (transparent) = edify + ation

This is a regular noun formation from the verb 'edify', meaning the act or result of edifying.

Etymology

Edification comes from an old Latin idea of building, the same root as edifice ('a building') and edify ('to build up'). So edification means the 'building up' of a person's mind or character, which is why it means moral or intellectual improvement.