resurrection

[ rez-uh-rek-shuhn ]
See synonyms for resurrection on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of rising from the dead.

  2. Resurrection, Christianity. the rising of Christ after His death and burial.

  1. Resurrection, Religion. the rising of the dead on Judgment Day.

  2. the state of those risen from the dead.

  3. a rising again, as from decay, disuse, etc.; revival.

  4. Christian Science. a rising above mortality through the understanding of spiritual life as demonstrated by Jesus Christ.

Origin of resurrection

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin resurrēctiōn-, stem of resurrēctiō, the Easter church festival, from resurrēct(us) “risen again” (past participle of resurgere “to rise again”; see resurge) + -iō-ion

Other words from resurrection

  • res·ur·rec·tion·al, adjective
  • res·ur·rec·tive, adjective
  • non·res·ur·rec·tion, noun
  • non·res·ur·rec·tion·al, adjective
  • post·res·ur·rec·tion, noun
  • post·res·ur·rec·tion·al, adjective

Words Nearby resurrection

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use resurrection in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for resurrection (1 of 2)

resurrection

/ (ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən) /


noun
  1. a supposed act or instance of a dead person coming back to life

  2. belief in the possibility of this as part of a religious or mystical system

  1. the condition of those who have risen from the dead: we shall all live in the resurrection

  2. the revival of something: a resurrection of an old story

Origin of resurrection

1
C13: via Old French from Late Latin resurrectiō, from Latin resurgere to rise again; see resurge

Derived forms of resurrection

  • resurrectional or resurrectionary, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Resurrection (2 of 2)

Resurrection

/ (ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən) /


nounChristian theol
  1. the rising again of Christ from the tomb three days after his death

  2. the rising again from the dead of all mankind at the Last Judgment

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

Cultural definitions for Resurrection

Resurrection

The rising of Jesus from the tomb after his death; a central and distinctive belief of the Christian faith. The Gospels state that after Jesus was crucified and lay in a tomb between Friday evening and Sunday morning, he rose, in body as well as in spirit, and appeared alive to his followers. His resurrection is the basis for the Christian belief that not only Jesus but all Christians will triumph over death. Christians celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.