Gloss · Words · Epiphany

epiphany

ɪˈpɪfəninoun

What does epiphany mean?

A sudden moment when you finally understand something.

Epiphany, six ways

PlainA sudden moment when you finally understand something.
ADHDThe click. Sudden. Everything makes sense now.
Gen ZThat moment in the shower when it all clicks and you have to tell someone.
MetaphorA light switched on in a room you had been crossing in the dark.
FormalA moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
Like I’m 5When you suddenly understand something you did not get before. That’s an epiphany.

How to pronounce epiphany

ih-PIF-uh-nee/ɪˈpɪfəni/

Epiphany in a sentence

She had an epiphany halfway through the drive home.
Halfway through the shower I had an epiphany about the plot.
The novel turns on a quiet epiphany in its ninth chapter.

Synonyms for epiphany

revelationSomething revealed, often from outside.
realizationPlainer, and it can be slow.
insightUnderstanding, not necessarily sudden.

Where epiphany comes from

Greek. Epiphaneia, an appearing. First used of a god showing up, then of the church feast, then of any sudden understanding.

Good to know

With a capital E, the Epiphany is the Christian feast on January 6. With a small e, any sudden moment of understanding.

Epiphany meaning, on a Gloss card: A sudden moment when you finally understand something.

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Words like epiphany

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In: Words for feelings · Words for ideas · Words that make you sound smart · Latin and Greek roots