revelatory
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or having the characteristics of revelation.
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showing or disclosing an emotion, belief, quality, or the like (usually followed byof ).
a poem revelatory of the author's deep, personal sorrow.
Etymology
Origin of revelatory
1880–85; < Latin revēlāt ( us ) ( see revelation) + -ory 1
Explanation
Anything revelatory reveals something you've never seen or realized before. A revelatory article in a tabloid paper might give you the scoop about a celebrity's (previously) private life. A revelatory artwork might show you something in a completely new light, like a giant art installation that incorporates the natural landscape around it, or a piece of music that stirs a deep feeling of nostalgia or sadness when you listen to it. People often describe religious experiences as revelatory, and early uses of revelation were also religious, meaning "disclosure of information from a divine source." The Latin root is revelare, "uncover or lay bare."
Vocabulary lists containing revelatory
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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.
Among his many books was John Paul II: Man of History, a revelatory biography of the former Pope.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is absolutely revelatory regarding how Ma Rainey sang, how it mattered, and who she was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
But Salonen’s homeland ranks No. 1 this year on the World Happiness Report, and his revelatory performance of Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella” with the Colburn Orchestra, with which he closed the festival, demonstrated why.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
John M. Barry’s revelatory book presents the great Mississippi flood of 1927 as a natural disaster that enabled a historic exercise of American ambition and power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
A few times he makes a revelatory noise, a “hmm!” or an “ah!”
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
