(initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity.
a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.
the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality
any moment of great or sudden revelation
What is the Feast of the Epiphany? The Feast of the Epiphany (often simply called Epiphany) is a Christian holiday. In the Western Church, it celebrates the revelation of Jesus as the Christ (the prophesied Messiah or Savior) to the Magi (popularly known as the three wise men) and to all Gentiles (non-Jews). In the Eastern Church, the Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus and the revelation of his divinity. The Feast of the Epiphany is considered the twelfth and final day of the Christmas celebration. For this reason, it is sometimes called Twelfth Day. Many Christians observe the Epiphany as the end of the Christmas season and it is traditional to leave up Christmas decorations until this day. In some places, the Feast of the Epiphany is considered to mark the start of Carnival season—the period of feasting and merriment before Lent.
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English epiphanie, from Late Latin epiphanīa, from Late Greek epipháneia, from Greek: “apparition,” equivalent to epi- epi- ( def. ) + phan- (stem of phaínein “to appear”) + -eia -y 3 ( def. )
When inspiration hits you out of the blue, call it an epiphany. In the Christian tradition, Epiphany (ə-PIF-ə-nee) is a festival celebrating Christ's appearance to the Gentiles, observed every year on January 6. From the Christian sense we get an additional religious sense, "the appearance of a god or deity" and the more common modern usage, a noun meaning "a sudden revelation." There's nothing religious about most epiphanies these days — your "Eureka!" moment could come when you realize that you're in the wrong line of work and you need to quit your job to join the circus.
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Also grieving Gerry is his daughter, Early, whose filial devotion clashes with her revulsion at Gerry’s brutality until her eventual epiphany: “I am my father’s daughter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
With this intimate, painful epiphany, the show’s larger parable about obligingly submitting to ahistorical ignorance is blunted with a spiritually benevolent ideal.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
There’s a great train-track crossing sequence that’s also a vicious callback to Richard Dreyfuss’ epiphany in “Close Encounters.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
On the religious question, Mr. Putin has, for example, made it a custom to participate in Kreshchenskiye Kupaniya, or epiphany bathing, every Jan. 19, commemorating Christ’s baptism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
But she had not had a bold epiphany and there was no cause; it was simply that layer after layer of discontent had settled in her, and formed a mass that now propelled her.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Pope Leo XIV celebrates a mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord in St Peter's Basilica, after closing the Holy Door, marking the end of the Jubilee year.
From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026
It’s winter in Dublin, 1904, and two elderly sisters are hosting a feast for the Epiphany.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
In Los Angeles, for example, Church of the Epiphany in Lincoln Heights is listed for its importance to the Chicano civil rights movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
On Monday, the feast of Epiphany in the Christian calendar, Mr Welby will attend two services at Lambeth Palace, a Eucharist at lunchtime and Evensong later in the day.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2025
School is supposed to reopen on Monday, January 9, soon after Epiphany, but we get a notice from the principal that classes will not resume until the end of the month.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
Either way, know that nothing in this hour expands beyond territory he hasn’t covered – including, and namely, any epiphanies about responsibility.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Investigating four centuries of British and American data, Mr. Goodspeed concludes that the apparent business cycles that economists have spent careers documenting are “apophanies” rather than epiphanies: illusions of pattern imposed on noise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Her compositions are more propulsive and melodic, capturing the romance of youth and tiny epiphanies of life lived raw and in the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
As the escalating pressure mounts, he has a cathartic meltdown and several epiphanies that are fun to watch.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2024
"Because I am still doing research on the relationship between water polo and epiphanies."
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
