revelation
noun
the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.
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revelation
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Revelation
Revelationnoun(popularly, often plural) the last book of the New Testament, containing visionary descriptions of heaven, of conflicts between good and evil, and of the end of the world
revelation
American
[rev-uh-ley-shuhn]
/ ˌrɛv əˈleɪ ʃən /
noun
revelations
plural
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the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.
The revelation of previously hidden facts about the group’s activities changed the situation completely.
- Synonyms:
- exposure, divulgence, admission
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something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, such as of something not before realized.
Her memoir contained several fascinating revelations about her love life.
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Theology.
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God's disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures.
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an instance of such communication or disclosure.
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something thus communicated or disclosed.
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something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.
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Also called The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Revelation. the last book in the New Testament; the Apocalypse. Rev.
revelation
1
British
/ ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən /
noun
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the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, esp something true
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a fact disclosed or revealed, esp in a dramatic or surprising way
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Christianity
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God's disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind, esp through the words of human intermediaries
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something in which such a divine disclosure is contained, such as the Bible
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Revelation
2
British
/ ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of revelation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English revelacion, revelacioun, from Anglo-French revelaciun, revelacioun, revelatiun, from Middle French revelacion, revelation, from Late Latin revēlātiōn- (stem of revēlātiō ), equivalent to Latin revēlā(tus) , past participle of revēlāre “to remove the cover from, unveil, lift the lid of, uncover” + -tiōn- verbal noun suffix dentoting the action of the verb; see also reveal, -tion; cf. apocalypse ( def. )
Explanation
Discovering that you had a long-lost sister would definitely be a revelation, or a surprising realization. Finding out she had been living in the house next door for years would be an even more startling revelation! It is not a surprise that the word revelation is related to the word reveal, because revealing is the action of showing something that was previously covered up or unknown. You can even use both words in the same sentence: "You might find it a revelation if someone revealed to you that your house was sitting on top of a gold mine!"
Vocabulary lists containing revelation
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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List 5
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
OpenAI’s revelation this past week that its AI models escaped confinement and hacked another tech company’s systems gave new credibility to fears that this technology can, in fact, go sci-fi villain mode.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Later she laments how the revelation brought her to a low point in her life: “How could my blood do something so atrocious? How could my blood be the cause of other people’s bloodshed?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The biggest revelation was just how much of his job is about managing people.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Some industry insiders who spoke with MarketWatch said the revelation could damage the crypto industry’s reputation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
When I pictured this conversation in my head, I could imagine it going in two ways: revelation or revulsion.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
In 1988, he and his second wife, Alice Yelen Gitter, discovered Sister Gertrude Morgan, a self-taught artist and Christian street preacher whose paintings sometimes interpreted the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
After several years as a theatrical actor, Karyo saw his role in La Balance earn him a nomination for the César Award for Best Male Revelation.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
I believe ultimately it comes from the Book of Revelation.
From Salon ● May 26, 2025
At New Revelation Missionary Baptist Church in Pasadena, senior pastor George Hurtt estimates that 80% to 90% of his congregation lives in Altadena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025
That evening he read aloud from the Bible, familiar passages from Isaiah, Luke, and the Book of Revelation, about wars and rumors of wars.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Unfortunately, the underwhelming revelations don’t elicit the tears Kore-eda regularly wrings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Buffett said his decision to no longer give to the Gates Foundation wasn’t based on a souring of his relationship with Gates, or revelations relating to Gates’s ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Sonnenshine and the “Little House” writers walk a fine line between the harsher recent revelations concerning the ways Ingalls’ bootstrapping mythology in the books doesn’t square with history or reality.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Erik Smolinski, a crypto investor, said the revelations undermined his confidence in the president.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Despite all the praise, the stress from her sisters’ public revelations took its toll on Leah’s health.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
