REMINISCENCE Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'reminiscence' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of reminiscence are memory , recollection , and remembrance . While all these words mean "the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered," reminiscence suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past. // my grandmother's reminiscences of her Iowa girlhood

Q: In what contexts can 'memory' take the place of 'reminiscence'?

While the synonyms memory and reminiscence are close in meaning, memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered. // gifted with a remarkable memory // that incident was now just a distant memory

Q: When would 'recollection' be a good substitute for 'reminiscence'?

Although the words recollection and reminiscence have much in common, recollection adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort. // after a moment's recollection he produced the name

Q: Where would 'remembrance' be a reasonable alternative to 'reminiscence'?

The meanings of remembrance and reminiscence largely overlap; however, remembrance applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered. // any remembrance of his deceased wife was painful

reminiscence

noun

ˌre-mə-ˈni-sᵊn(t)s

Definition of reminiscence next

as in memory

a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered his reminiscences about the war were painful to hear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in recollection

the power or process of recalling what has been previously learned or experienced we wondered whether she could trust her reminiscence of events that happened so long ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word reminiscence distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of reminiscence are memory, recollection, and remembrance. While all these words mean "the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered," reminiscence suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past.

my grandmother's reminiscences of her Iowa girlhood

In what contexts can memory take the place of reminiscence?

While the synonyms memory and reminiscence are close in meaning, memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered.

gifted with a remarkable memory

that incident was now just a distant memory

When would recollection be a good substitute for reminiscence?

Although the words recollection and reminiscence have much in common, recollection adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort.

after a moment's recollection he produced the name

Where would remembrance be a reasonable alternative to reminiscence?

The meanings of remembrance and reminiscence largely overlap; however, remembrance applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered.

any remembrance of his deceased wife was painful

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 reminiscence Ah, reminiscences of days working on an oil rig gone by! —

Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 May 2026 McLarty and Walker shift from depressive introspection to giggling reminiscences. —

Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026 In the nightmare scenario that kicks off Transcription, the disabling of the narrator’s phone—that ingenious receptacle for distraction, and discomfort, and crap—sets in motion a series of observations and reminiscences that prod the narrator’s unconscious, bringing the novel into being. —

Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 The novel, which jumps around in time from spectral reminiscences of the nineteenth century to the late 1980s and early 1990s and into the twenty-first century, follows the members of a Brooklyn family attempting to find stability while struggling with their strange attunement to the dead. —

Omari Weekes, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reminiscence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reminiscence

Noun

Prosecutor Brittany Dunlop challenged Zarrius' version of events, telling the jury during closing arguments that his apparent memory loss was not credible.

— Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Those emotions and memories now dry up in this, the final adventure, of dessication.

— Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Definition of memory

Noun

Maria Avila offered tearful recollections of the traumatic incident and her less-than-full recovery on the stand last week, speaking in Spanish with an interpreter.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026
The Shining Stars documentary was released in 2001 using a similar narrative approach that combined band member recollections with commentary from contemporary hit artists.

— Prof. Mike Alleyne Ph.D, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026