reincarnation
Americannoun
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the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form.
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rebirth of the soul in a new body.
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a new incarnation or embodiment, as of a person.
noun
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the belief that on the death of the body the soul transmigrates to or is born again in another body
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the incarnation or embodiment of a soul in a new body after it has left the old one at physical death
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embodiment again in a new form, as of a principle or idea
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of reincarnation
First recorded in 1855–60; re- + incarnation
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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.
Vocabulary lists containing reincarnation
World Religions
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South Asia - Introductory
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South Asia - Middle School and High School
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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.
This is because the book treats reincarnation not as an ambiguous phenomenon but an empirical fact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
"He is media-savvy, and uses the past to build his popularity as a reincarnation of Sankara," he told the BBC.
From BBC • May 11, 2025
Her song “Om Supreme” describes the sense of being ordained to reunite in California, as if this would be the site of their shared reincarnation.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025
I wasn’t sure whether I believed in heaven or hell or reincarnation.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
