Synonyms

edify

American

[ed-uh-fahy] / ˈɛd əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

edified, edifying

to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift.

religious paintings that edify the viewer.

edify British

/ ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

(tr) to improve the morality, intellect, etc, of, esp by instruction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

edifier noun
edifying adjective
edifyingly adverb
nonedified adjective
reedify verb (used with object)
unedified adjective

Etymology

Origin of edify

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English edifien, from Anglo-French, Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre “to build,” equivalent to aedi- (stem of aedes ) “house, temple” + -ficāre -fy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The interviews are inconsistent, and some are more edifying than others.

From The Wall Street Journal

Few things are less edifying than a mob that has decided to rectify a great wrong in the name of justice and purity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Organized chronologically, employing memorabilia, instruments, performance wear, rare photos, video and edifying signage, the exhibit rises to the task admirably.

From The Wall Street Journal

The book’s most edifying compilations recount the Soviet people’s unconquerable yearning to live, create and love freely, despite the daily menaces of a police state and deafening propaganda.

From The Wall Street Journal

They prepare students to discern right from wrong, truth from lies—a process so edifying it can be, as Mr. Kessler advises, as “fun” and “addictive” as any tech.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023