reminiscence
Americannoun
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the act or process of recalling past experiences, events, etc.
- Synonyms:
- recollection
-
a mental impression retained and revived.
- Synonyms:
- memory
-
Often reminiscences. a recollection narrated or told.
reminiscences of an American soldier.
-
something that recalls or suggests something else.
- Synonyms:
- reminder
-
(in Platonic philosophy) anamnesis.
noun
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the act of recalling or narrating past experiences
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(often plural) some past experience, event, etc, that is recalled or narrated; anecdote
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an event, phenomenon, or experience that reminds one of something else
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(in the philosophy of Plato) the doctrine that perception and recognition of particulars is possible because the mind has seen the universal forms of all things in a previous disembodied existence
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psychol the ability to perform a task better when tested some time after the task has been learnt than when tested immediately after learning it
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of reminiscence
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French, from Late Latin reminiscentia, from reminiscent-, stem of reminiscēns “remembering” ( see reminiscent) + -ia -y 3 ( def. )
Explanation
A reminiscence is a memory, or the act of recovering it. A visit to your old elementary school may flood your brain with reminiscences––things you hadn't thought of in years coming suddenly back. Many people find that when they travel or have quiet time to think, their brain becomes occupied with reminiscence. You can see how close the word reminiscence is in meaning to the word remember––you might think of the word reminiscence as a remembering.
Vocabulary lists containing reminiscence
Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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"Civil Disobedience," Vocabulary from the essay
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Civil Disobedience
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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.
And a revival of his large-scale opus dedicated to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “ … as in a Cultural Reminiscence …” might also fit in Carnegie’s Zankel Hall space.
From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2022
"Reminiscence," directed by "Westworld" co-creator Lisa Joy, serves as the producer and actress’s directorial feature film debut.
From Fox News • Aug. 20, 2021
Using a tank called the Reminiscence developed for interrogation purposes, he facilitates trips down memory lane for those who have nothing to look forward to and choose instead to look back.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2021
In "Reminiscence," a sci-fi thriller arriving in U.S. theaters on Friday, Jackman plays a former soldier who runs a business for people who want to float in sensory deprivation tanks.
From Reuters • Aug. 19, 2021
Reminiscence went on as though we were about a dining table at home; minute inquiry was made into the welfare and activities of the Bulle family from the cradle to the grave.
From A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium by Gibson, Hugh
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.
