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• incarnation
  incarnation

  noun

  an incarnate being or form.
• Incarnation
  Incarnation

  noun

  Christian theol the assuming of a human body by the Son of God

incarnation

American  

[in-kahr-ney-shuhn] / ˌɪn kɑrˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an incarnate being or form.

2. a living being embodying a deity or spirit.

3. assumption of human form or nature.

4. (sometimes lowercase) the Incarnation, the doctrine that the second person of the Trinity assumed human form in the person of Jesus Christ and is completely both God and man.

5. a person or thing regarded as embodying or exhibiting some quality, idea, or the like.

   The leading dancer is the incarnation of grace.

6. the act of incarnating.

7. state of being incarnated.

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incarnation ¹ British  

/ ˌɪnkɑːˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of manifesting or state of being manifested in bodily form, esp human form

2. a bodily form assumed by a god, etc

3. a person or thing that typifies or represents some quality, idea, etc

   the weasel is the incarnation of ferocity

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Incarnation ² British  

/ ˌɪnkɑːˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. Christian theol the assuming of a human body by the Son of God

2. Christianity the presence of God on Earth in the person of Jesus

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Incarnation Cultural  

1. The Christian belief that the Son, the second person of the Trinity, was incarnated, or made flesh, in the person of Jesus, in order to save the world from original sin (see also original sin).

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Other Word Forms

• incarnational
  adjective
• postincarnation
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of incarnation

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English incarnacion, from Late Latin incarnātiōn-, stem of incarnātiō; equivalent to incarnate + -ion

Explanation

Incarnation is the embodiment of a god on earth. Or — when it comes to reincarnation: if you are a garbage collector in this life, you might get to be royalty in your next incarnation. Incarnation comes from the Latin incarnatus, which means “to make flesh.” The word incarnation came to life in religious contexts and is used when talking about gods and deities that take on human or animal forms. More generally, the word can be used to refer to anything or anyone taking on a "new life" — the new season of a sitcom could promise a new incarnation for one of its characters, or a former fashion trend could come back as a new incarnation.

Example Sentences

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Mary’s consent—“Let it be done.”—was a free, active and essential act of faith that allowed the Incarnation to occur.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Balagtas is the priest liaison for the Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese and pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, which holds five Masses on Sundays.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2022

Like with other churches, launching such service programs has had the benefit of increasing volunteerism and attracting more donations, allowing Incarnation to undertake a $1 million roof restoration that’s nearly finished.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 29, 2022

Then a friend dragged her to a DisruptJ20 meeting in the basement of St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant.

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2017

I am, for example, a materialist largely because I was brought up to believe in the central mystery of the Church—the redemptive Incarnation.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez