revival
Americannoun
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restoration to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, etc.
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restoration to use, acceptance, or currency.
the revival of old customs.
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a new production of an old play.
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a showing of an old motion picture.
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an awakening, in a church or community, of interest in and care for matters relating to personal religion.
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an evangelistic service or a series of services for the purpose of effecting a religious awakening.
to hold a revival.
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the act of reviving.
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the state of being revived.
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Law. the reestablishment of legal force and effect.
noun
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the act or an instance of reviving or the state of being revived
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an instance of returning to life or consciousness; restoration of vigour or vitality
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a renewed use, acceptance of, or interest in (past customs, styles, etc)
a revival of learning
the Gothic revival
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a new production of a play that has not been recently performed
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a reawakening of faith or renewal of commitment to religion
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an evangelistic meeting or service intended to effect such a reawakening in those present
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the re-establishment of legal validity, as of a judgment, contract, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of revival
Explanation
If something experiences a revival, that means it’s once again popular or important. If a news story mentions a revival in the technology industry, that means the industry, having gone through a slump, is once again thriving. Revival literally means "come back to life." An ER doctor might perform a revival of someone whose heart has stopped. We usually use it to mean "returned to glory, importance, or strength." Fresh paint and new flowerbeds might mean your neighborhood is experiencing a revival. If you don't like spiky hair, you may cringe at the revival of the mohawk in fashion magazines. Revival has a religious sense too, referring to a meeting that reawakens religious excitement and passion.
Vocabulary lists containing revival
The White Album
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"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 1
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Content Summary 4.6: Early Modern Religion
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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:
The construction projects are likely funded by an economic revival that has pumped cash, financial resources and material goods into the regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
There's no cash-in on the drum and bass revival, and no mimicry of the cutting-edge productions of PinkPantheress and Charli XCX.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It’s a rare case of a revival that actually works, as Hank, Peggy and Bobby Hill have all grown older but not necessarily wiser.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
If we learn the right collective lesson from Freddy’s 15 minutes of fame, it won’t be that we’re living through a moment of American cultural revival.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
She sank to her knees, closing her eyes, and Hanako could see she was praying, like she had at the Christian revival meetings in the Jerome camp.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
The Covid pandemic at least temporarily halted these revivals as people poured out of dense cities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Wrap slammed it as "boring and tedious", the Radio Times said it "should be illegal", and the Independent declared young people deserve better than the "slop" of "warmed-over revivals".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
If ’00s revivals are all the rage in clothing and aesthetics, it stands to reason that the same would be true in cinema.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
She appeared in several other Broadway shows before 1970 as a member of the APA-Phoenix Repertory, including revivals of Henrik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” and Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
There would be Bible revivals and visiting preachers and good food.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
