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• Renaissance
  Renaissance

  noun

  the Renaissance,
• renaissance
  renaissance

  noun

  a revival or rebirth, esp of culture and learning

Renaissance

American  

[ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns, ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns, ri-nay-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  

/ 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 ² British  

/ rəˈneɪsəns, ˈrɛnəˌsɒns /

noun

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

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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

See Examples For:

Renaissance renaissance

His response during an interview with Business Renaissance Quarterly in 2007 shed some light on Claire’s philosophy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

"I think we should learn from the mistakes of the Industrial Revolution, and I think we should be more like the Renaissance," Altman said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Gianfrancesco I, the first marquis, set the tone in the 1420s by inviting the Padua-based humanist Vittorino da Feltre, whose new Mantua academy created a template for Renaissance education.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The researchers point to the Great Renaissance Drought as one possible factor.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Raphael, the young prodigy of Renaissance painting, is so entranced that he makes his own versions.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Listen to the pop-country godmother: If you’re enjoying the country-crossover renaissance exemplified by Ella Langley’s chart-topping song “Choosin’ Texas,” you’re in for a treat: Langley’s mentor, Miranda Lambert, has a new album out.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

But CPUs are experiencing an AI renaissance, and investors seem more upbeat about the potential for multiple years of robust demand in that part of the market than they are for the memory market.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

He argues they should become "symbols of Britain's renaissance".

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

“We appreciate the Administration’s leadership in advancing America’s nuclear renaissance and share its commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands supply, strengthens energy security and keeps America competitive,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Will we all be renaissance children, skilled at every art and science, because we’ve had the time to master them?

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• rejuvenation
• renewal
• resurgence
• revitalization
• revival