reminisce

Synonym Chooser

How is the word reminisce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of reminisce are recall, recollect, remember, and remind. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

In what contexts can recall take the place of reminisce?

The words recall and reminisce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

Where would recollect be a reasonable alternative to reminisce?

The synonyms recollect and reminisce are sometimes interchangeable, but recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can remember be used instead of reminisce?

While in some cases nearly identical to reminisce, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

When is remind a more appropriate choice than reminisce?

In some situations, the words remind and reminisce are roughly equivalent. However, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reminisce Harp, who is raising his orphaned niece, Dell, after her mother is murdered, never reminisces with Dell about his sister; the Antidote and Cleo both do their best not to have meaningful conversations with anyone at all. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025 Tina also reminisced about Solange's teenage years and her constant creativity. Marina Watts, People.com, 25 June 2025 Memories from 2024-25 After winning 44 regular-season games, the most since 2018-19 and the third most in franchise history, and advancing to the Calder Cup Finals, the Checkers faithful have plenty to reminisce on after Monday night’s season-ending loss. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2025 Eric Knight, 29, reminisced about his childhood years spent inside Cassell’s. Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for reminisce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reminisce
Verb
  • Many remember the implosion of Michael Eisner at Disney soon after losing $140 million hiring super-agent Michael Ovitz, who left in failure soon after joining.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
  • And remember to tap into any loyal summer camp alumni (often a lifetime legacy).
    Jill Tipograph, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The modern 55 and older homebuyer isn’t looking to sit all day on a recliner pondering our end of life options.
    Jamie Gold, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • The two countries have been engaged in aerial strikes and Trump had been pondering U.S. involvement for the past week.
    Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Leslie recalls a moment when her son’s Spanish teacher was astonished at his fluency.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2025
  • For many of these patients, their fears recall past traumas: from their home countries, their journeys to the United States, and their settlement.
    Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • The latest one sees Gi-hun wrecked with guilt and ruminating on the grisly games he's found himself in on two separate occasions.
    Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
  • But Springsteen wasn’t spending all of his time ruminating.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Wright was speaking at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival and recollected her battle for equal pay on the Netflix hit.
    Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 June 2025
  • Such contracts are nothing new in Hollywood, and many scholars of classic Hollywood will likely recollect the strict contracts studios had for their stars in that era.
    Clement Obropta, IndieWire, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • While Leslie’s book is largely about Lennon, McCartney and their fruitful collaborations, contemplate what George Harrison became.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • Wright decided to come out after contemplating suicide in 2006.
    Jeff Nelson, People.com, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The other new offering is a finance agent that automatically analyzes KPIs and performs planning functions for different scenarios.
    Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Those videos can also serve the interests of science, as evidenced by the international team of researchers who analyzed 408 publicly available videos of sleeping cats to study whether the kitties showed any preference for sleeping on their right or left sides.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The conversation will explore the urgent role of politics in this moment, the impact of federal policy on everyday lives, and how state leadership can be a catalyst for closing the racial wealth gap, expanding opportunity, and protecting our freedoms.
    Essence, Essence, 7 July 2025
  • Not every team has adopted these tools, and not every product manager has the time or support to explore them.
    Shyam Ravindranathan, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reminisce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reminisce. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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