epiphany

noun epiph·a·ny \ i-ˈpi-fə-nē \

Definition of epiphany

plural epiphanies

1 capitalized :January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ

2 :an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3 a (1) :a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something

(2) :an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking

(3) :an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

b :a revealing scene or moment

See epiphany defined for English-language learners

Examples of epiphany in a Sentence

Invention has its own algorithm: genius, obsession, serendipity, and epiphany in some unknowable combination. —Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker, 12 May 2008
One day, a New York composer met an expert on Asian domesticated elephants, and together they reached some sort of freakish epiphany and decided to see if elephants could learn to play music. —Jon Pareles, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2002
One epiphany came when a dozen engineers in northern New Mexico saw a lone, fading Xerox paper carton bobbing in a swamp of old motor oil at the bottom of a pit. —Michelle Conlin, Business Week, 1 Nov. 1999
Seeing her father again when she was an adult was an epiphany that changed her whole view of her childhood.

Recent Examples of epiphany from the Web

For Harrison, the epiphany was that the folks running rail yards knew far more about railroading than the bureaucrats at headquarters.

— shawn tully, Fortune, "Google Is Expanding Its Public Wi-Fi Program to a Second Country in Asia," 25 Aug. 2017
The University of Louisville linebacker, sidelined last December by a gunshot wound in the elbow, rejects the notion that a brush with danger must end with an epiphany.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Sullivan: Gunshot wound leaves U of L's Hearns unchanged," 5 Aug. 2017
That’s when Guajardo, a U.S. Army First Lieutenant from Flower Mound, Texas had an epiphany.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Chick-Fil-A Answers a Soldier's Plea and Delivers All the Way to Iraq," 20 July 2017
There is one scene in the first season when your character, Debbie, goes to a wrestling show for the first time and has this epiphany that pro wrestling is really just a soap opera.

— mick rouse, GQ, "How GLOW's Betty Gilpin Transformed Into a WWE-Style Rage Machine in 4 Months," 17 July 2017
For Gambetti, a neuropathologist, unraveling the mystery of that illness would become a scientific epiphany.

— mark johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In tracking a lethal family of diseases that threatens humans and animals, scientists have become the hunters," 6 July 2017
An epiphany led her from life on the streets in Over-the-Rhine to Hamilton County's Change Court.

— terry demio, Cincinnati.com, "She found a 'family' in court, along with a path from bondage and to recovery," 3 July 2017
The Marlins are hoping for a feel-good story of epiphany and resurrection of a pitcher whose game had slipped off the rails.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Tom Koehler gets chance to reclaim spot in Marlins' rotation; will start Saturday," 30 June 2017
Unless that last at-bat was magic, some kind of epiphany, theeeeeeeee answer for his miserable offensive season, then Schwarber has the same problems in a different location, which isn’t a surprise.

— steve rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, "‘Click for Kyle:’ An All-Star campaign to help Kyle Schwarber," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epiphany.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of epiphany

Middle English epiphanie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin epiphania, from Late Greek, plural, probably alteration of Greek epiphaneia appearance, manifestation, from epiphainein to manifest, from epi- + phainein to show — more at fancy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

EPIPHANY Defined for English Language Learners

epiphany

noun

Definition of epiphany for English Language Learners

Epiphany : a Christian festival held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ
: a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way