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• epiphany
  epiphany

  noun

  a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
• Epiphany
  Epiphany

  noun

  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

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epiphany

American  

[ih-pif-uh-nee] / ɪˈpɪf ə ni /

noun

• epiphanies
  plural

1. (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.

2. an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity.

3. 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.

4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

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epiphany ¹ British  

/ ɪˈpɪfənɪ /

noun

1. the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality

2. any moment of great or sudden revelation

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Epiphany ² British  

/ ɪˈpɪfənɪ /

noun

1. 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

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Epiphany Cultural  

1. 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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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• epiphanic
  adjective
• epiphanous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• epiphanies
  plural

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Etymology

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- ( def. ) + phan- (stem of phaínein “to appear”) + -eia -y ³ ( def. )

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Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

epiphany Epiphany epiphanies

It was at that point that I had my only useful epiphany on this topic.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

An epiphany at an arts festival helped 27-year-old artist Hsu Mei-chih, whose mother is from China, define her identity as Taiwanese.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"I had an epiphany when I met you and started working with you," Madonna wrote in her post, alongside a video of herself standing beside Orbit to accept a Grammy Award.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

It might be the most American thing ever that we needed to experience the epiphany twice — with equal doses of tragedy and farce on both occasions — before we began to grasp its message.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

The realization struck Penelope with the strength of an epiphany.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

“I feel like I’m cheating on Epiphany,” joked one young woman who came to “Pizza to Pews” with her sister, referring to the Church of the Epiphany, another parish nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

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

As a minister at the Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church in Lincoln Heights, Estrada baptized Jimenez when she was a child, and later baptized her two daughters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025

The Christian feast day of Epiphany, when observers celebrate the visit to Jesus by the Magi - commonly known as the Three Kings, or Wise Men - is widely celebrated in Spain.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2025

Mrs. Draper used to live in my hometown, which is Epiphany, New York, and her daughter, Mrs. Potter, still does.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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

I’m a person who creates characters, imbues them with problems and makes up situations for them to struggle through toward emotional epiphanies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

If we kill busywork, we risk forfeiting the epiphanies that sometimes occur while doing easy, repetitive tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

There are no scenes, no breakdowns, no epiphanies.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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