What does "epiphany" mean?
An illuminating realization or discovery, often resulting in a personal feeling of elation, awe, or wonder.
Epiphany
/ɪˈpɪfəni/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An illuminating realization or discovery, often resulting in a personal feeling of elation, awe, or wonder.
- Grammar: epiphany is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: advent, afflatus, aha moment, allhallowmas.
- Useful contrasts: confusion, ignorance, ordinary day.
- Usage evidence: This is the epiphany I've been waiting for!
How to use "epiphany"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "epiphany" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "epiphany" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "epiphany" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "epiphany" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "epiphany" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "epiphany", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An illuminating realization or discovery, often resulting in a personal feeling of elation, awe, or wonder. countable
"It came to her in an epiphany what her life's work was to be."
- 2 A manifestation of the divinity of Jesus Christ, especially to the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12), but also at his baptism and the Wedding at Cana. countable, uncountable
"That was also the reason why the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the three epiphanies of Christ's divinity, His Baptism, the Miracle of Cana, and the Visit of the Magi, was one of the most favorite feasts in the Eastern Church[…]"
- 3 a divine manifestation wordnet
- 4 A manifestation or appearance of a divine or superhuman being. countable
"The ithyphallic bird-man is the climactic, ecstatic, instantaneous male principle confronting the enormous, slow, bovine, and enduring principle of the eternal feminine in her epiphany as the bison."
- 5 An annual Christian feast celebrating these events, usually on January 6, the twelfth day after Christmas. countable, uncountable
"On the Festival of the Epiphany, and on the six Sundays called after its name, we have distinct pictures held up to our view connected with the life of Jesus of Nazareth[…]"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 twelve days after Christmas; celebrates the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus wordnet
- 7 Alternative letter-case form of Epiphany. alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 8 The day of the celebration, January 6, or sometimes (in Western Christianity), the Sunday between January 2 and 8. countable, uncountable
- 9 The season or time of the Christian church year, either from the Epiphany feast day to Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent), or from the Epiphany feast day to the feast of Candlemas (marking the presentation of Jesus Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem). countable, uncountable
- 10 an experience of sudden and striking insight countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 A female given name.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"This is the epiphany I've been waiting for!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "epiphany"?
Common synonyms include: advent, afflatus, aha moment, allhallowmas, allhallows, allhallowtide.
How do you use "epiphany" in a sentence?
This is the epiphany I've been waiting for!
How do you pronounce "epiphany"?
Pronounced /ɪˈpɪfəni/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English epiphanie, from Old French epyphanie, from Late Latin epiphania, from Ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια (epipháneia, “manifestation, striking appearance”), from ἐπιφαίνω (epiphaínō, “I appear, display”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I shine, appear”). English Epiphany (of Christ) since the 14th century, generic use since the 17th century.
Etymology 2
PIE word *h₁epi See epiphany.