as in ignorant
lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books
the poor benighted souls who do not know the joys of reading
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Recent Examples of benighted
If or when the elephants die, our own benighted species will surely not be far behind.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Even with Dibble effortlessly laying waste to every point and argument made by his benighted co-guest, Joe Rogan remained unconvinced.
—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
1 Dec. 2025
With the midterm election still nearly a year off — and the 2028 presidential contest eons away — many of those angry or despondent over the benighted state of our union desperately wanted to do something to push back.
—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Like the original Outlander, Blood of My Blood is believably frank about the possibility of assault in the benighted past.
—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for benighted
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Even with Dibble effortlessly laying waste to every point and argument made by his benighted co-guest, Joe Rogan remained unconvinced.
—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
1 Dec. 2025
With the midterm election still nearly a year off — and the 2028 presidential contest eons away — many of those angry or despondent over the benighted state of our union desperately wanted to do something to push back.
—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Like the original Outlander, Blood of My Blood is believably frank about the possibility of assault in the benighted past.
—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for benighted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benighted
ignorant
Adjective
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Let’s hope that George Santayana’s warning to those ignorant of history about the past repeating itself makes an exception for our present Defense Department.
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And then there are amateur collectors like me, who might not know ironstone from porcelain, but whose last day on earth could be spent touching old objects in ignorant bliss.
Cite this Entry
“Benighted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benighted. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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