revelation

[ rev-uh-ley-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: revelationrevelations on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.

  2. something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.

  1. Theology.

    • God's disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures.

    • an instance of such communication or disclosure.

    • something thus communicated or disclosed.

    • something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.

  2. Revelations. Also called The Revelation of St. John the Divine . the last book in the New Testament; the Apocalypse. Abbreviation: Rev.

Origin of revelation

1
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

Other words for revelation

Other words from revelation

  • rev·e·la·tion·al, adjective
  • non·rev·e·la·tion, noun
  • pre·rev·e·la·tion, noun
  • un·rev·e·la·tion·al, adjective

Words Nearby revelation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use revelation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for revelation (1 of 2)

revelation

/ (ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, esp something true

  2. a fact disclosed or revealed, esp in a dramatic or surprising way

  1. Christianity

    • God's disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind, esp through the words of human intermediaries

    • something in which such a divine disclosure is contained, such as the Bible

Origin of revelation

1
C14: from Church Latin revēlātiō from Latin revēlāre to reveal

Derived forms of revelation

  • revelational, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Revelation (2 of 2)

Revelation

/ (ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən) /


noun
  1. Also called: the Apocalypse, the Revelation of Saint John the Divine (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

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