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. 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 ² 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 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

Example Sentences

The Vanguard option is the modern-day incarnation of the storied Vanguard 500 fund, which kicked off investors’ love affair with index investing in the 1970s.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The show marks the first British incarnation of the sketch series, which was created by Lorne Michaels and first launched in the US in 1975.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Was there anything you were nostalgic for that wasn’t in the new incarnation?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Enck's book traces the history of plastic: from its earliest incarnation in 1909, when Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, through the "myth" of plastic recycling promoted by industry from the mid-20th century onward.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

The new incarnation of me has to be perfect.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins