What does "peregrination" mean?
A person's life regarded as a temporary stay on earth and a journey to the afterlife.
Peregrination
/ˌpɛɹɪɡɹɪˈneɪʃn̩/ noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person's life regarded as a temporary stay on earth and a journey to the afterlife.
- Grammar: peregrination is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: campaign, circuit, course, digression.
- Useful contrasts: concision, focus, immobility.
- Usage evidence: It is true our life in this vvorld is not called a baniſhment any vvhere in the Scripture: but a pilgrimage, a peregrination, a travell; but perigrinatio cum ignominia conjunctu, exilium; he that leaves his Countrey becauſe he vvas aſhamed, or afraid to return to it, or to ſtay in it, is a baniſhed man.
How to use "peregrination"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "peregrination" 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 "peregrination" 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 "peregrination" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "peregrination" 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 "peregrination" is acting as 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 "campaign" 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.
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Final meaning check
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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 A person's life regarded as a temporary stay on earth and a journey to the afterlife. archaic, countable
"It is true our life in this vvorld is not called a baniſhment any vvhere in the Scripture: but a pilgrimage, a peregrination, a travell; but perigrinatio cum ignominia conjunctu, exilium; he that leaves his Countrey becauſe he vvas aſhamed, or afraid to return to it, or to ſtay in it, is a baniſhed man."
- 2 traveling or wandering around wordnet
- 3 A journey made by a pilgrim; a pilgrimage; also (uncountable) the making of pilgrimages. archaic, broadly, countable
"According to the mode of that time, he [Cnut the Great] made a pilgrimage to Rome, with a view to expiate the crimes, which paved his way to the throne; but he made a good use of this peregrination, and returned full of the observations he had made in the country, through which he had passed, which he turned to the benefit of his extensive dominions."
- 4 A journey or trip, especially by foot; also (uncountable) journeying, travelling. broadly, countable
"By what I have touch’d in the Chapter of the Elms, concerning the peregrination of that Tree into Spain (where even in Plinie’s time there were none, and where now they are in great abundance) why ſhould we not more generally endeavour to propagate the Ilex amongſt us; […]"
- 5 Broad or systematic discussion of a subject; (countable) an instance of this; a discourse. broadly, figuratively, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Straying from the main subject in speech or writing; digression; (countable) an instance of this. broadly, figuratively, uncountable
- 7 The state of living abroad temporarily; sojourning; (countable) an act of doing this; a sojourn. broadly, obsolete, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"It is true our life in this vvorld is not called a baniſhment any vvhere in the Scripture: but a pilgrimage, a peregrination, a travell; but perigrinatio cum ignominia conjunctu, exilium; he that leaves his Countrey becauſe he vvas aſhamed, or afraid to return to it, or to ſtay in it, is a baniſhed man."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "peregrination"?
Common synonyms include: campaign, circuit, course, digression, discursion, errantry.
How do you use "peregrination" in a sentence?
It is true our life in this vvorld is not called a baniſhment any vvhere in the Scripture: but a pilgrimage, a peregrination, a travell; but perigrinatio cum ignominia conjunctu, exilium; he that leaves his Countrey becauſe he vvas aſhamed, or afraid to return to it, or to ſtay in it, is a baniſhed man.
How do you pronounce "peregrination"?
Pronounced /ˌpɛɹɪɡɹɪˈneɪʃn̩/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English peregrinacioun, peregrinacion (“journey; pilgrimage; (figuratively) human journey through life”), from Anglo-Norman peregrinaciun (“human journey through life”), peregrination (“pilgrimage; overseas travel”), and Old French peregrinacion, peregrination (“pilgrimage; overseas travel”) (modern French pérégrination), and from their etymon Latin peregrīnātiō (“overseas sojourn or travel; (Late Latin) pilgrimage; sojourn; human journey through life”), from peregrīnātus (“living or travelling overseas”) + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns). Peregrīnātus is the perfect passive participle of peregrīnor (“to live or travel overseas; to be overseas; to roam, rove; to be a stranger”), from peregrīnus (“alien, foreign; exotic”) (from peregrē̆ (“abroad; from abroad; heading abroad”) + -īnus (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’)) + -or (suffix forming first-person singular present passive indicative verbs).