reincarnation

American  

[ree-in-kahr-ney-shuhn] / ˌri ɪn kɑrˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• reincarnations
  plural

1. the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form.

2. rebirth of the soul in a new body.

3. a new incarnation or embodiment, as of a person.

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reincarnation British  

/ ˌriːɪnkɑːˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the belief that on the death of the body the soul transmigrates to or is born again in another body

2. the incarnation or embodiment of a soul in a new body after it has left the old one at physical death

3. embodiment again in a new form, as of a principle or idea

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reincarnation Cultural  

1. Being reborn in another body. Several religions, including Hinduism, believe that the human spirit returns to Earth in different forms again and again as it strives for perfection.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reincarnationist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reincarnations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reincarnation

First recorded in 1855–60; re- + incarnation

Compare meaning

How does reincarnation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rebirth vs. reincarnation

Explanation

If you believe in reincarnation, you believe that after death a person's soul is reborn in another body. Certain religions hold this belief as a central tenet, including Hinduism and Buddhism. The noun reincarnation comes from the Latin roots re, meaning again, and incarnare, meaning to make flesh. The word reincarnation does not have to be a literal rebirth, however. The term can be used to mean a more figurative reinvention or rebirth. Your dad may have spent twenty years of his life working as a stockbroker, but after he reinvented himself, you'd be proud of his reincarnation as a math teacher.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reincarnation reincarnations

Tibetans, whose Buddhist beliefs allow for infinite reincarnation, reject notions Lobga simply died by suicide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

It draws heavily on the Hindu concept of Samsara - the continuous cycle of birth, life, death, and reincarnation - to help Albarn and Hewlett process the death of their own parents.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

This is because the book treats reincarnation not as an ambiguous phenomenon but an empirical fact.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

President Bill Clinton’s key political adviser, James Carville, once said that if he did believe in reincarnation he wouldn’t come back as a world or religious leader, or even a great Major League Baseball player.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

They clung to him as though he were the reincarnation of the Besht, as though he were their student tzaddik, so to speak.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Speed, eventually learn they are the reincarnations of Wanda and Vision’s twins, Billy and Tommy Maximoff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

Sometime soon we’ll see him as the man a woman falls in love with over and over again through various reincarnations in an indie called “Timestalker.”

From Salon ● May 11, 2024

She says many features of ongoing climate change are reincarnations of the past warm climates.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2023

The marks also held stories of pain, reincarnations and beauty.

From BBC ● May 20, 2022

It told the story of Rama, one of the reincarnations of the god Vishnu, who fought a ten-headed demon to rescue his wife.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi