Definition

Noun: 1. A message or action that helps you remember something: A reminder is a thing, such as a note, an alarm, or a spoken comment, that is intended to make you think about or remember a task, event, or piece of information. 2. An experience that causes you to remember something: A reminder can be an event or object that makes you recall a past person, event, or feeling. 3. Someone who gives a warning: (Less common) A person who warns another to avoid a mistake.

Usage and Examples

• As a prompt for memory:
  • I set a reminder on my phone for the dentist appointment.
  • She sent me a gentle reminder about the deadline.
• As a trigger for memory:
  • The old photograph was a painful reminder of her childhood.
  • The smell of rain is always a reminder of my hometown.

Advanced Usage

• "A constant/painful/stark reminder": Used to emphasize that something continuously or sharply brings a memory to mind.
  • The abandoned building stands as a stark reminder of the city's economic decline.
• "A timely reminder": A reminder that comes at an appropriate or useful moment.
  • The accident was a timely reminder to always wear a seatbelt.

Variants and Related Words

• Remind (verb): To cause someone to remember.
  • Can you remind me to call her?
• Reminiscent (adjective): Tending to remind one of something.
  • The style is reminiscent of 1920s architecture.

Synonyms

• Prompt: Something that causes you to take action.
• Cue: A signal for someone to do something.
• Memento: An object kept as a reminder of a person or event.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Serve as a reminder": To function as a reminder.
  • This medal serves as a reminder of his bravery.

Noun

1. someone who gives a warning so that a mistake can be avoided
2. an experience that causes you to remember something
3. a message that helps you remember something
   • he ignored his wife's reminders