revelation

[rev-uh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. 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

2. 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.

3. Theology.

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

   2. an instance of such communication or disclosure.

   3. something thus communicated or disclosed.

   4. something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.

4. Also called The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Revelation. the last book in the New Testament; the Apocalypse. Rev.

revelation

¹

/ 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

3. Christianity

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

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

Revelation

²

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• revelational adjective
• nonrevelation noun
• prerevelation noun
• unrevelational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of revelation¹

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; reveal, -tion; apocalypse ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of revelation¹

C14: from Church Latin revēlātiō from Latin revēlāre to _reveal

Example Sentences

But Marina didn't forget the revelations, and years later, she would make a documentary telling her mother's story.

Read more on BBC

The revelations come as the amount of money at Noem’s disposal has skyrocketed.

Read more on Salon

These revelations bring a shudder, naturally, but also complicate, or rather radically change, our interpretation of Laius’ death.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Senators inserted the carve-out in response to revelations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, subpoenaed the phone records of several Republican senators.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Davidson said the U.S. reaction to revelations from the Epstein files has paled in comparison to moves made in the United Kingdom, where the former Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal titles.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• announcement 
• discovery 
• epiphany 
• leak 
• news