reverie

noun

rev·​er·​ie ˈre-və-rē How to pronounce reverie (audio)
ˈrev-rē
variants or less commonly revery
plural reveries
1
2
: the condition of being lost in thought

Examples of reverie in a Sentence

I was lost in reverie and didn't realize my flight was boarding until it was almost too late.
Recent Examples on the Web His state of trance-like reverie reminds me that our species’ connection to fire is very, very old. M. R. O’Connor, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024 Mullins depicts the commonplace in a manner that allows reveries to sometimes seep in. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Whatever reverie Davis enjoyed ended as officers from Las Vegas Metro’s Criminal Apprehension Team swiftly approached in tactical gear out of unmarked vehicles. John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024 It can be watched as a fluid sort of reverie on roads and conversations not taken — heartbreaking ones. Michael Phillis, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024 Images flit by as if in reveries, many of them like scenes from a hallucinatory novel. Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 13 July 2023 The Ghanaian director has gone for a high-style reverie, creating set pieces sprung from the imagination of Celie, played as a child by Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and as a woman by Fantasia Barrino, who is reprising her Broadway role. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2023 Aside from a hallucinatory second-act reverie that gives Jones a production high point, waiting for the end times proves less tuneful. Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Oct. 2023 For her debut album, the techno whiz turns into a dance-pop singer-songwriter, delivering downy reveries that float on as her mind drifts back to California, old friends, and ice baths in Oslo. Pitchfork, 12 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reverie.' 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

French rêverie, from Middle French, delirium, from resver, rever to wander, be delirious

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reverie was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near reverie

Cite this Entry

“Reverie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverie. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reverie

noun
rev·​er·​ie
variants also revery
plural reveries
1
2
: the condition of being lost in thought

More from Merriam-Webster on reverie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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