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-lay-shuhn]
/ ˌrɛv əˈleɪ ʃən /
noun
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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:
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has demanded an official apology over the prisoner revelation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Financial Times, external also offered five stars describing documentary as "a mind-bending revelation".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Naturally, there’s a startling revelation at the end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Mastodon’s other newest member is keyboardist João Nogueira, a revelation on the album and at the Palladium, though he’s been a sideman to the band for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The revelation didn’t come the way she’d expected it to—total and devastating.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
She believed her craft, a gift from the Almighty, emerged from her conversations with God and lifelong dreamlike visions of Genesis, Revelation and the Great Flood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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
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
On one hand, there’s the pre-millennial interpretation of the Book of Revelation shared by most evangelical Christians: The world gets worse and worse until the day of Rapture and the last judgment.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024
“Nothing. I thought I had part of the Book of Ecclesiastes and maybe a little of Revelation, but I haven't even that now.”
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
Plowing through the 292 episodes, which are currently shown on Paramount + and other platforms, has led to many revelations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Somewhere in this chain of revelations, a persistent question began bouncing around the internet: Aren’t these … crimes?
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Those revelations led to a warning from Australia's media watchdog, which called them "serious and disturbing".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“You Can See Everything” isn’t so much about big, jaw-dropping revelations as it is about the people behind them, and the assortment of personality and/or neurodevelopmental disorders fueling their actions.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
It was the first inkling of the revelations that were in store for me this weekend.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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