resurrection

noun

res·​ur·​rec·​tion ˌre-zə-ˈrek-shən How to pronounce resurrection (audio)
1
a
capitalized : the rising of Christ from the dead
b
often capitalized : the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final judgment
c
: the state of one risen from the dead
2
3
Christian Science : a spiritualization of thought : material belief that yields to spiritual understanding
resurrectional adjective

Did you know?

Resurrection comes from Anglo-French resurreccioun. Originally, the word was used in Christian contexts to refer to the rising of Christ from the dead or to the festival celebrating this rising (now known as Easter). The word eventually began to be used more generally in the senses of "resurgence" or "revival." Its Latin root, surgere, means "to rise."

Examples of resurrection in a Sentence

He was enjoying the resurrection of his career. a resurrection of an old theory
Recent Examples on the Web This resurrection has allowed programs like Libra to continue. Trevor Clawson, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 Max’s loss would be AMC’s gain, and a franchise almost exclusively centered around coming back from the dead had one more resurrection up its sleeve. EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024 Jesus's journey carrying his cross is the solemn focus of Catholics who prepare to celebrate Christ's eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Arizona Republic, 1 Feb. 2024 But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 But Kitase says Zack’s resurrection wasn’t done in response to his popularity but because bringing in characters from across the FF7 universe, popular or obscure, was always the plan. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024 Whatever the origin of the story, these days to mark the occasion, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, the shell symbolizes the tomb, and the eggs are cracked to show his resurrection from the dead. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2024 Lent is a period of 40 days in which Christians self-reflect to prepare to celebrate Jesus's resurrection at Easter. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 About 10 people who had varying roles in Mr. Biden’s nascent resurrection gathered with Mr. Biden and Ms. Cohen around a long table in an open living room with views of a lush backyard and swimming pool. Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024

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

Middle English resurreccioun, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin resurrection-, resurrectio act of rising from the dead, from resurgere to rise from the dead, from Latin, to rise again, from re- + surgere to rise — more at surge

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of resurrection was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near resurrection

Cite this Entry

“Resurrection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resurrection. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

resurrection

noun
res·​ur·​rec·​tion ˌrez-ə-ˈrek-shən How to pronounce resurrection (audio)
1
a
capitalized : the rising of Jesus from the dead
b
often capitalized : the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final judgment
2
resurrectional
-shnəl How to pronounce resurrection (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

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