reminiscent
Americanadjective
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awakening memories of something similar; suggestive (usually followed by of).
His style of writing is reminiscent of Melville's.
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characterized by or of the nature of reminiscence.
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given to reminiscence.
a reminiscent old sailor.
adjective
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stimulating memories (of) or comparisons (with)
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characterized by reminiscence
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(of a person) given to reminiscing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reminiscent
First recorded in 1755–65; from Latin reminiscent-, stem of reminiscēns “remembering,” present participle of reminiscī “to remember,” from re- re- + -miniscī (akin to mēns “mind”; mind )
Explanation
If your uncle tells you that your outfit is reminiscent of the way your mother dressed when she was young, it means your clothes remind him of your mother. Hopefully that doesn't mean your mother is still dressing you. Reminiscent traces back to the Latin for "remember." If a house is reminiscent of your childhood home, it makes you remember your childhood home. Reminiscent can have a good or bad implication. If you tell someone that her paintings are reminiscent of a chimp's finger paintings, obviously that's not so good. But if you tell her that they're reminiscent of Dali, well that might be better.
Vocabulary lists containing reminiscent
Beloved
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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 dessert is decadent and is baked with sweetened condensed milk that’s reminiscent of dulce de leche.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
The audio has a distinctly early-2000s quality to it, reminiscent of the days when incoming calls caused nearby speakers to violently stutter.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
The screening will also feature a vintage car show put on by the Pachuco Car Club, which will showcase the rides reminiscent of the time period shown in the movie.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
It was reminiscent for this viewer of 2008’s “Food Inc.,” which took a deep dive into the techniques of farmer Joel Salatin, the self-proclaimed “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Heading inland, it is a short walk out of the city into a landscape that is reminiscent of his childhood in Zundert: fields and farms, windmills.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
