recapitulation
noun
re·ca·pit·u·la·tion
ˌrē-kə-ˌpi-chə-ˈlā-shən 
1
: a concise summary
2
: the hypothetical occurrence in an individual organism's development of successive stages resembling the series of ancestral types from which it has descended so that the ontogeny of the individual retraces the phylogeny of its group
3
: the third section of a sonata form
Examples of recapitulation in a Sentence
will begin his presentation with a recapitulation of the research done on the disease up to this point
Recent Examples on the Web
The Word for World Is Forest envisions space exploration as a recapitulation of earlier colonial conflicts.
—
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 21 June 2025
The dullard cousin of the repetition family is redundancy, that almost onomatopoeic term for needless recapitulation.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
What had formed on the narrow little patch of dirt in Albuquerque was a recapitulation of the most basic human instincts at the heart of ordinary everyday life; when faced with uncertainty and danger, people naturally cling together and form communities which become more complex and orderly.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
As the Barber’s first movement rounds the corner into the recapitulation section, the soloist has a few precious seconds to breathe as the orchestra sings out the main tune.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for recapitulation
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Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 21 June 2025
The dullard cousin of the repetition family is redundancy, that almost onomatopoeic term for needless recapitulation.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
What had formed on the narrow little patch of dirt in Albuquerque was a recapitulation of the most basic human instincts at the heart of ordinary everyday life; when faced with uncertainty and danger, people naturally cling together and form communities which become more complex and orderly.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
As the Barber’s first movement rounds the corner into the recapitulation section, the soloist has a few precious seconds to breathe as the orchestra sings out the main tune.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for recapitulation
Cite this Entry
“Recapitulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recapitulation. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
recapitulation
noun
re·ca·pit·u·la·tion
ˌrē-kə-ˌpich-ə-ˈlā-shən
: the supposed repetition in the development of the individual of its phylogenetic history see recapitulation theory
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