epiphany

[ ih-pif-uh-nee ]

See synonyms for epiphany on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural e·piph·a·nies.

(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.

Origin of epiphany

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English epiphanie, from Late Latin epiphanīa, from Late Greek epipháneia, from Greek: “apparition,” equivalent to epi- epi- + phan- (stem of phaínein “to appear”) + -eia -y³

Other words from epiphany

ep·i·phan·ic [ep-uh-fan-ik], /ˌɛp əˈfæn ɪk/, e·piph·a·nous, adjective

Words Nearby epiphany

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epiphany in a sentence

Richard Kurin was a 19-year-old anthropology student in India when he experienced his material culture epiphany.
We All Have a Rosebud in Our Pasts | Sam Roberts | October 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Zaks experienced an epiphany of sorts a couple years ago, when he was looking through a book of Tony Walton illustrations.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’ | Ross Wetzsteon | April 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
While watching The Ten Commandments on TV with their children for the umpteenth time, Burnett and Downey had an epiphany.
Hollywood Declares 2014 the Year of the Bible | Andrew Romano | January 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This was an epiphany, this was imprinted on you, you could do anything now.
How John Lennon Rediscovered His Music in Bermuda | The Telegraph | November 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The teenager went to rehab, and then went right back to using—until he had an epiphany.
‘Glee’ Star Cory Monteith Found Dead: A Tortured Talent Gone Too Soon | Marlow Stern | July 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

Their escape was made at midnight on the eve of epiphany, 1649, all the court following in great disorder.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol X | Various
Neophytes should therefore be baptized at Easter and Pentecost alone, never at epiphany.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 | Various
So careful is the poet to prepare both sides—the divine epiphany, and the mortal who is to behold it.
Homer's Odyssey | Denton J. Snider
He thought the lessons of the Nativity and epiphany came as a very wholesome corrective to these tendencies.
The Church Index | William Pepperell
There is nothing of him now in Florence, save a few drawings in the Uffizi and an unfinished picture of the epiphany.
The Story of Florence | Edmund G. Gardner

British Dictionary definitions for epiphany (1 of 2)

epiphany

/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /

nounplural -nies

the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality
any moment of great or sudden revelation

Origin of epiphany

C17: via Church Latin from Greek epiphaneia an appearing, from epi- + phainein to show

Derived forms of epiphany

epiphanic (ˌɛpɪˈfænɪk), adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Epiphany (2 of 2)

Epiphany

/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /

nounplural -nies

a Christian festival held on Jan 6, commemorating, in the Western Church, the manifestation of Christ to the Magi and, in the Eastern Church, the baptism of Christ

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 Epiphany

Epiphany

[ (i-pif-uh-nee) ]

A festival in Christianity celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means “a showing forth” — in this case a showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles.

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