Renan

American

[ri-nan, ruh-nahn] / rɪˈnæn, rəˈnɑ̃ /

noun

Ernest 1823–92, French philologist, historian, and critic.

Renan British

/ ranɑ̃ /

noun

( Joseph ) Ernest (ernest). 1823–92, French philosopher, theologian, and historian; best known for his Life of Jesus (1863), which discounted the supernatural aspects of the Gospels

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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"There were more than 200 people taking the tour this morning. Seventy percent were foreign tourists," Renan Monteiro, from the tour operator Favela Turismo, told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

The French historian Ernest Renan identified the tension between a nation-state’s need for a legitimizing narrative and the often ugly truths of its actual past.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Renan Vieira, doctoral student at the U, is the first author.

From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2025

Keylor Navas, Dean Henderson and Renan Lodi have also left Forest after their loans ended.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2023

No matter whether Renan came to a correct conclusion or not, his work did a vast deal of good.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Ingersoll, Robert Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023