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• revelation
  revelation

  noun

  the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.
• Revelation
  Revelation

  noun

  (popularly, often plural) the last book of the New Testament, containing visionary descriptions of heaven, of conflicts between good and evil, and of the end of the world

revelation

American  

[rev-uh-lay-shuhn] / ˌrɛv əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• revelations
  plural

1. the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.

   The revelation of previously hidden facts about the group’s activities changed the situation completely.

   Synonyms:

   exposure, divulgence, admission

2. something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, such as of something not before realized.

   Her memoir contained several fascinating revelations about her love life.

3. Theology.

   1. God's disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures.

   2. an instance of such communication or disclosure.

   3. something thus communicated or disclosed.

   4. something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.

4. Also called The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Revelation. the last book in the New Testament; the Apocalypse. Rev.

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revelation ¹ British  

/ ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, esp something true

2. a fact disclosed or revealed, esp in a dramatic or surprising way

3. Christianity

   1. God's disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind, esp through the words of human intermediaries

   2. something in which such a divine disclosure is contained, such as the Bible

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Revelation ² British  

/ ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. Also called: the Apocalypse, the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. (popularly, often plural) the last book of the New Testament, containing visionary descriptions of heaven, of conflicts between good and evil, and of the end of the world

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrevelation
  noun
• prerevelation
  noun
• revelational
  adjective
• unrevelational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• revelations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of revelation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English revelacion, revelacioun, from Anglo-French revelaciun, revelacioun, revelatiun, from Middle French revelacion, revelation, from Late Latin revēlātiōn- (stem of revēlātiō ), equivalent to Latin revēlā(tus) , past participle of revēlāre “to remove the cover from, unveil, lift the lid of, uncover” + -tiōn- verbal noun suffix dentoting the action of the verb; see also reveal, -tion; cf. apocalypse ( def. )

Explanation

Discovering that you had a long-lost sister would definitely be a revelation, or a surprising realization. Finding out she had been living in the house next door for years would be an even more startling revelation! It is not a surprise that the word revelation is related to the word reveal, because revealing is the action of showing something that was previously covered up or unknown. You can even use both words in the same sentence: "You might find it a revelation if someone revealed to you that your house was sitting on top of a gold mine!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

revelation Revelation revelations

The revelation inspired a small genre of internet consumer detective work.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

With the revelation, the families "are certain to face persecution in the North", Cho Seong-ryoul, a former policy adviser to the presidential national security office, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

That revelation fueled speculation that one of the suspects might have gotten cold feet about the operation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

But clearly, his decision didn’t stick, and in 2020, the pair quarantined together during the pandemic, a revelation that arose when eagle-eyed fans noticed their social media content had identical backgrounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nine gnawed his claw, considering this unwelcome revelation.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

In 1988, he and his second wife, Alice Yelen Gitter, discovered Sister Gertrude Morgan, a self-taught artist and Christian street preacher whose paintings sometimes interpreted the Bible’s Book of Revelation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

After several years as a theatrical actor, Karyo saw his role in La Balance earn him a nomination for the César Award for Best Male Revelation.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025

At New Revelation Missionary Baptist Church in Pasadena, senior pastor George Hurtt estimates that 80% to 90% of his congregation lives in Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025

On one hand, there’s the pre-millennial interpretation of the Book of Revelation shared by most evangelical Christians: The world gets worse and worse until the day of Rapture and the last judgment.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024

We substituted good grammar for intellect; we switched habits to simulate maturity; we rearranged lies and called it truth, seeing in the new pattern of an old idea the Revelation and the Word.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

In the wake of the public revelations, the parent firm rebranded as Meta.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Her memoir was a hit, though its revelations cost her any potential future work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The early revelations on Football Leaks focused on matters closer to home, with leaks around Benfica and even the side he supported, FC Porto.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Although the encounter itself was terrifying, revelations about Shrine’s past have compounded her fears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Geyer found the city transfixed by the revelations emerging from the castle.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• announcement
• discovery
• epiphany
• leak
• news