revelation

noun

rev·​e·​la·​tion ˌre-və-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce revelation (audio)
1
a
: an act of revealing or communicating divine truth
b
: something that is revealed by God to humans
2
a
: an act of revealing to view or making known
b
: something that is revealed
especially : an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
shocking revelations
c
: a pleasant often enlightening surprise
her talent was a revelation
3
capitalized : an apocalyptic writing addressed to early Christians of Asia Minor and included as a book in the New Testament

called also Apocalypse

see Bible Table

Examples of revelation in a Sentence

The book includes many shocking revelations about the mayor's personal life. The revelation that she was a drug user was not a surprise to me. Revelations by the newspaper caused a scandal.
Recent Examples on the Web Australia’s Seven West Media and its Seven network may risk reputational damage following Federal Court revelations in Sydney on Thursday and Friday. Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024 His revelation led to a quick fix, potentially staving off a major global cyberattack. David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for revelation 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'revelation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English revelacioun, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin revelation-, revelatio, from Latin revelare to reveal

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of revelation was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near revelation

Cite this Entry

“Revelation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revelation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

revelation

1 of 2 noun
rev·​e·​la·​tion ˌrev-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce revelation (audio)
1
: an act of revealing or making known divine truth
2
a
: an act of revealing to view
b
: something that is revealed
especially : a surprising or astonishing disclosure

Revelation

2 of 2 noun
Rev·​e·​la·​tion
ˌrev-ə-ˈlā-shən
: a writing dealing with the end of the world addressed to early Christians of Asia Minor and included as a book in the New Testament see bible

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