benighted — lacking knowledge, awareness, or enlightenment; ignorant
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: lacking knowledge, awareness, or enlightenment; ignorant
Pronunciation (IPA): /bɪˈnaɪtɪd/
Example Sentences
- My benighted roommate thought Alaska was an island next to Hawaii because that's how it appears on US maps.
- The benighted tourists kept asking where they could see penguins in the North Pole.
- In those benighted times, people believed that washing would make them sick.
benighted
ADJECTIVE[/bɪˈnaɪtɪd/]
lacking knowledge, awareness, or enlightenment; ignorant


Be knighted in darkness — missing obvious enlightenment signs everywhere!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English, literally meaning 'overtaken by night.' The word evolved from the idea of being caught in darkness to describe someone trapped in ignorance or lacking enlightenment.
Breakdown
be- (prefix meaning 'surrounded by' or 'affected by') + night (darkness) + -ed (past participle suffix)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My benighted roommate thought Alaska was an island next to Hawaii because that's how it appears on US maps.”
“The benighted tourists kept asking where they could see penguins in the North Pole.”
“In those benighted times, people believed that washing would make them sick.”
“The professor criticized the benighted attitudes toward mental health in the past.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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