reborn

American  

[ree-bawrn] / riˈbɔrn /

adjective

1. having undergone rebirth.

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reborn British  

/ riːˈbɔːn /

adjective

1. born or as if born again, esp in having undergone spiritual regeneration

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Etymology

Origin of reborn

First recorded in 1590–1600; re- + born

Explanation

Since "re" means "again," to be reborn means to be "born again." Since no one really has the chance to experience their birth a second time around, to be reborn means to undergo a meaningful spiritual change. In certain Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christian churches, congregants choose a time to be baptized, or ritually admitted to the church, and it's at that moment they consider themselves to be reborn. This idea is rooted in a section of the Bible's New Testament, commonly translated so that Jesus says, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

Example Sentences

At Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr’s reborn French restaurant in New York, instead of poaching the meringue they bake it before service in a low-temp oven for a miraculously brisk seven minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

As in Rick Pitino, that swaggy, sharp-suited, knocked-around coach everyone has an opinion on, reborn at 73 in New York, New York, always his kind of brash, hate-ya-til-we-love-ya town.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Constructed from excerpts of his Las Vegas concerts during the early 1970s, the documentary captures a glitzy, reborn Presley working the crowd and thrilling fans.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

A franchise once so dominant they were dubbed the "Evil Empire," New England have floundered since Brady left in 2020, but they have been reborn this season under coach of the year Mike Vrabel.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

“It means a person’s soul will be reborn into the next life if bees are around.”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Related Words

• rehabilitated