benighted

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   ignorant, unenlightened, or lacking cultural knowledge, often used disparagingly

   The reformer condemned what he called the benighted customs of the age.

2. 2
   adj

   overtaken by night before reaching a destination

   The benighted travelers sought shelter in an empty barn.

The past participle of benight, from be- + night. Its original sense was "overtaken by darkness"; the figurative sense treats ignorance as intellectual or spiritual darkness.

Topics