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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

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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. )

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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

But, thanks to Debotte's workplace revelation, the case was built on much more than that simple premise.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Since taking over from Winston last week—and nearly leading an improbable comeback by throwing for 243 yards in less than a quarter—McCarthy has been nothing short of a revelation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The revelation comes as Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla warned that evidence gathered so far raised the possibility of serious criminal wrongdoing.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

The revelation spurred Trevelyan, who made a public apology in Grenada in 2023, to co-found the Heirs of Slavery group which supports "reparative justice".

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

That she was capable of sitting in a chair in a restaurant and eating food was a revelation to him.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Revelation, God’s relation to the human, is an even more intimate shock: not a doctrine delivered, but an address, an encounter in which the “I” discovers itself summoned as a “you.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Revelation after revelation about Andrew's behaviour has prompted an unusual level of chatter.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 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

The photograph is one in a group titled “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” a reference to the prophecy of triumph and submission from the New Testament Book of Revelation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

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

Married at First Sight UK usually starts airing in September, but the new series was put on hold following the revelations in the Panorama.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The film is a testament to the cultural clout of rewatch podcasts, where cast members and creators offer revelations about their shows and about themselves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Somewhere in this chain of revelations, a persistent question began bouncing around the internet: Aren’t these … crimes?

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026

The question has grown more urgent after recent revelations of security incidents involving autonomous AI agents.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

I marveled at the Book of John, with its terrible revelations of angels and beasts loosed at the end of time.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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Related Words

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