Real Dictionary

the Enlightenment in American English
a mainly 18th-cent. European philosophical movement characterized by a reliance on reason and experience rather than dogma and tradition and by an emphasis on humanitarian political goals and social progress
a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine

the Enlightenment in British English
an 18th-century philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions