Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for born-again. Search instead for born-againer.
Synonyms

born-again

American  
[bawrn-uh-gen, -uh-geyn] / ˈbɔrn əˌgɛn, -əˌgeɪn /

adjective

  1. committed or recommitted to religious faith through an intensely religious experience.

    a born-again Christian.

  2. reactivated or revitalized.

    a born-again conservatism in American politics.

  3. enthusiastically committed.

    a born-again jogger.

noun

  1. a person who is characterized by a newfound faith or enthusiasm.

born-again British  
/ ˈbɔːnəˌɡɛn /

adjective

  1. having experienced conversion, esp to evangelical Christianity

  2. showing the enthusiasm of one newly converted to any cause

    a born-again monetarist
"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

noun

  1. a person who shows fervent enthusiasm for a new-found cause, belief, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of born-again

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

The 21-year-old describes himself as a "born-again Christian" and says his religion is the most important thing in his life.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

The prediction comes from South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela, a born-again Christian who shared his “vision” in a YouTube interview earlier this year.

From Salon • Sep. 22, 2025

Carter was a born-again evangelical Christian as well as a Democrat.

From Slate • Dec. 30, 2024

DeLorean became a born-again Christian and told Playboy that he had been the victim of his own “insatiable pride ... an arrogance that was beyond that of any other human being alive.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

A keynote speaker was Charles W. Colson, the born-again Watergate felon turned evangelical thinker.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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.