reborn
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of reborn
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It also represents that life, death and rebirth motif. Something dies in order to be reborn."
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A number of the players head coach Matthias Jaissle inherited, such as goalscorers Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, also look reborn.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Adult Swim fan is reborn, not made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
But in the 1985 novel told from his point of view, he’s reborn as a rock star, emerging from a long, depressive slumber just in time to seduce the MTV generation.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
On the back pages of the book that served as his journal, he declared: I am reborn.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
