Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of revealing or disclosing something that was previously hidden or secret: "revelation" refers to making something known that was not known before, often in a surprising or dramatic way.
   • A surprising and enlightening fact or piece of information that is disclosed: It can be the specific piece of information that is revealed.
   • (Theology) Communication of divine truth or knowledge from a supernatural source to humanity: In religious contexts, it refers to God or a deity making knowledge known.
   • (The Revelation, proper noun) The last book of the New Testament in the Bible, also called the Apocalypse: This is a specific title of a biblical text containing prophetic visions.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (General Disclosure):
  • The biography contained shocking revelations about the author's early life.
  • Her talent for painting was a revelation to everyone who knew her.
• Noun (Theological):
  • Many religions are based on divine revelation.
  • The prophet received a revelation in a dream.
• Noun (Biblical Book):
  • The Book of Revelation describes symbolic visions of the end times.

Advanced Usage

• "A revelation": Used to describe an experience or person that is surprisingly and impressively enlightening or good.
  • The new restaurant was a revelation; I've never tasted food like it.
• "To have a revelation": To suddenly understand or realize something important.
  • While hiking, I had a revelation about what I wanted to do with my life.

Variants and Related Words

• Reveal (verb): To make something known that was secret or hidden.
  • The document revealed the truth.
• Revelatory (adjective): Revealing something, especially something surprising.
  • The interview was a revelatory experience.
• Apocalypse (noun): A term often associated with the Book of Revelation, meaning a prophetic revelation or a catastrophic event.

Synonyms

• Disclosure: The act of making new or secret information known.
• Exposure: The revealing of something hidden, often something negative.
• Divination: The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means (related to the theological sense).

Related Phrases

• Revelation of the method: A concept in literature or philosophy where the author explains their own creative process.
• Divine revelation: A specific term for communication from a deity.

Related Idioms

• A bolt from the blue / A revelation: While not a fixed idiom with the word "revelation," the concept is similar to a sudden and complete surprise that changes understanding.
  • The scientific discovery came as a bolt from the blue, a complete revelation that overturned old theories.

Noun

1. the last book of the New Testament; contains visionary descriptions of heaven and of conflicts between good and evil and of the end of the world; attributed to Saint John the Apostle
2. communication of knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency
3. an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
4. the speech act of making something evident