epiphany
(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
1Other words from epiphany
- ep·i·phan·ic [ep-uh-fan-ik], /ˌɛp əˈfæn ɪk/, e·piph·a·nous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use epiphany in a sentence
At the end of a year shaped by forces beyond our control, that epiphany is a gift.
The world’s problems overwhelmed me. This book empowered me. | Kelsey Piper | December 11, 2020 | VoxOften, however, the epiphanies born from discovery are ephemeral flashes that burn hot and bright but are quickly forgotten, if not overlooked entirely, by much of the population.
During a year of tumult, space has been a rare bright spot. SpaceX and NASA hope to keep it that way. | Christian Davenport | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostIt doesn’t arrive and do its work all at once, like an epiphany.
Trumpism is a lifestyle disease, chronic in America | Philip Kennicott | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostElection officials might have a few epiphanies, too, especially when it comes to voting by mail.
You had your shellac bug epiphany listening to an Ella Fitzgerald recording.
Why We Should Eat Crickets. And Other Bug Ideas - Facts So Romantic | Mary Ellen Hannibal | October 2, 2020 | Nautilus
Did you have a single a-religious epiphanic moment, when you realized that, for you, there was no God?
Let me follow-up and ask what the next project was that you set your sights on after this epiphanic moment?
British Dictionary definitions for epiphany (1 of 2)
/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /
the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality
any moment of great or sudden revelation
Origin of epiphany
1Derived forms of epiphany
- epiphanic (ˌɛpɪˈfænɪk), adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Epiphany (2 of 2)
/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /
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
[ (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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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