Renaissance

American  

[ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns, ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns, ri-ney-suhns] / ˌrɛn əˈsɑns, -ˈzɑns, -ˈsɑ̃s, ˈrɛn əˌsɑns, -ˌzɑns, -ˌsɑ̃s, rɪˈneɪ səns /

noun

1. the Renaissance,

   1. the great revival of classical art, literature, and learning in Europe from the 14th century to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.

   2. the period during which this revival occurred.

2. the forms and treatments in art, architecture, literature, etc., used in Europe from the 14th century to the 17th century and involving a revival of classical forms.

   This building is considered the most beautiful example of Renaissance north of the Alps.

3. Sometimes renaissance any notable revival in the world of art and learning.

   The period from 1917 to 1923, which in China saw the New Culture Movement at its height, has been called by some the Chinese Renaissance.

4. renaissance, a renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth; revival.

   “British film is undergoing its own renaissance right now,” said the festival’s director.

   Synonyms:

   resurgence

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adjective

1. relating to the period, arts, literature, and ways of thinking of the European Renaissance from the 14th to the 17th century.

   Renaissance attitudes helped bring about a scientific revolution.

2. relating to furnishings or decorations in or imitating the style of the Renaissance, in which motifs of classical derivation frequently appear.

3. Architecture.

   1. relating to a group of architectural styles that evolved in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, adapting ancient Roman details or forms to contemporary uses while retaining an emphasis on symmetry, mathematical precision, and a general effect of simplicity and tranquility.

   2. relating to any of the adaptations of this group of styles in foreign architecture that make playful or grotesque use of isolated details in more or less traditional buildings.

renaissance ¹ British  

/ rəˈneɪsəns, ˈrɛnəˌsɒns /

noun

1. a revival or rebirth, esp of culture and learning

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Renaissance ² British  

/ ˈrɛnəˌsɒns, rəˈneɪsəns /

noun

1. the period of European history marking the waning of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world: usually considered as beginning in Italy in the 14th century

2. 1. the spirit, culture, art, science, and thought of this period. Characteristics of the Renaissance are usually considered to include intensified classical scholarship, scientific and geographical discovery, a sense of individual human potentialities, and the assertion of the active and secular over the religious and contemplative life

   2. ( as modifier ) See also Early Renaissance High Renaissance

      Renaissance writers

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adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Renaissance, its culture, etc

Renaissance Cultural  

1. The cultural rebirth that occurred in Europe from roughly the fourteenth through the middle of the seventeenth centuries, based on the rediscovery of the literature of Greece and Rome. During the Renaissance, America was discovered, and the Reformation began; modern times are often considered to have begun with the Renaissance. Major figures of the Renaissance include Galileo, William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Renaissance means “rebirth” or “reawakening.”

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Discover More

The term renaissance is often used to describe any revival or rediscovery.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Renaissance adjective
• post-Renaissance adjective
• pre-Renaissance adjective
• pro-Renaissance adjective

Etymology

Origin of Renaissance

First recorded in 1830–40; from French, Middle French: “rebirth,” equivalent to renaiss- (stem of renaistre “to be born again,” from Latin renāscī, from re- re- + nāscī “to be born”) + -ance -ance

Explanation

A resurgence of excitement or interest in something is a renaissance. My sister is hoping for a renaissance of disco — she's been practicing her dance moves! If, after avoiding carbohydrates for years, people start enthusiastically eating them again, you can describe this as a bread and pasta renaissance. It's a renewal or revival of interest in something temporarily out of favor. Another kind of renaissance is specific to art, literature, and culture, like the capital-R Renaissance in 15th- and 16th-century Europe or the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

Example Sentences

The 29-year-old will be returning to East Lothian's The Renaissance Club in July, where he won on home soil in 2024.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Those from the Renaissance to the 19th century have been brought into the canon, redressing centuries of neglect, while once well-known female artists of the past whose reputations faded are again highly visible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Renaissance Macro Research’s DeGraaf notes the example of Books-a-Million, a bookstore chain that briefly climbed more than 1,000% on the announcement of an updated website in 1998.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Before those pricings, there had only been five IPO pricings in the past month, according to Renaissance Capital data, with the largest IPO being $840 million on March 19 from Janus Living.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Because Renaissance women don’t work—the thought is unthinkable—the dowry helps support them in their new family.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• rejuvenation
• renewal
• resurgence
• revitalization
• revival