recapitulation

noun re·ca·pit·u·la·tion \ ˌrē-kə-ˌpi-chə-ˈlā-shən \

Updated on: 2 Mar 2018

Definition of recapitulation

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 of recapitulation from the Web

Not a slavish recapitulation of classical tropes, but a recasting of them into a work that’s somehow weighty and lithe, inexorable and unexpected, eternal and American, all at once.

— tony adler, Chicago Reader, "All My Sons joins the pantheon of Court Theatre’s great tragedies," 24 Jan. 2018
But all of that is recollection and recapitulation.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Molly’s Game’ Review: Drawing Dead With All-In Dialogue," 21 Dec. 2017
Kelly’s claims to Ingraham last night are an almost verbatim recapitulation of Foote’s account: But the failure belongs less to Foote than to Burns.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Sarah Sanders Claims John Kelly Learned Civil War Nonsense From Ken Burns. She’s Probably Right.," 31 Oct. 2017
At first glance, the portion of Devarim is a random recapitulation of events the Jews experienced in the desert.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The nature and structure of the book of Devarim," 24 July 2017
Recapitulations of plot are often dull as oats, but this novel, which took top prize at this year’s British Book Awards, spills over with so much intrigue that a plot summary can’t be helped, nor should potential readers be spared the pleasure.

— jennifer senior, New York Times, "A Spirited Widow and a Monstrous Serpent Propel a Lush Novel," 7 June 2017
Yet this book, which seems to want to be ferocious and bracing, feels like a competent arm's-length recapitulation.

— kathleen rooney, chicagotribune.com, "Review: 'House of Names' by Colm Toibin," 22 May 2017

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