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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

incarnations plural

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

Derived Forms

• incarnational
  adjective
• postincarnation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incarnations
  plural

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

See Examples For:

incarnation Incarnation incarnations

It was to follow on from the series finale in May 2025, in which Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation of the Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper, who previously played the Doctor's assistant, Rose.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

This latest incarnation is in keeping with the building’s long history in the community.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

In its original incarnation, it featured Rahma hailing a yellow cab and instructing the driver to take him to a favorite local haunt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

This year’s incarnation, taking place Saturday, will be much more subdued, even diminished, with far fewer troops and no tanks or missiles—no military hardware of any sort—rolled out for display.

From Slate ● May 9, 2026

When Dad wasn’t around, I’d heard her say things that he—or at least this new incarnation of him—would have called sacrilege, things like, “Herbs are supplements. For something serious, you should go to a doctor.”

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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

In her book, “Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church and the Council of Chalcedon,” Marshall Turman critiqued the Morehouse social gospel tradition, even interviewing Butts.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

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

For many years, he was also a volunteer driver for social-service organizations including Shepherd’s Table and Meals on Wheels, as well as St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington.

From Washington Post ● May 13, 2022

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

Two previous incarnations of the People's Party were dissolved by the court, and their leaders banned from politics.

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026

Andy Serwer, a fair-weather fan of the Commanders and their previously named incarnations, is editor at large at Barron’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

There’s a strong possibility — nay, probability — that a lot of you skipped the original incarnations of “Spartacus,” starting with the first season that bowed in 2010.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

Earlier incarnations of this story had activism as the end goal, Valentin for his principles and Molina for his new friend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

According to a second theory, the children had been identified at birth as the incarnations of some long-dead spirits.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari