Resurrection Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms resurrection American [rez-uh-rek-shuhn] / ˌrɛz əˈrɛk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of rising from the dead.

2. Christianity. Resurrection, the rising of Christ after His death and burial.

3. Religion. Resurrection, the rising of the dead on Judgment Day.

4. the state of those risen from the dead.

5. a rising again, as from decay, disuse, etc.; revival.

6. Christian Science. a rising above mortality through the understanding of spiritual life as demonstrated by Jesus Christ.

Resurrection 1 British / ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. the rising again of Christ from the tomb three days after his death

2. the rising again from the dead of all mankind at the Last Judgment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 resurrection 2 British / ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. a supposed act or instance of a dead person coming back to life

2. belief in the possibility of this as part of a religious or mystical system

3. the condition of those who have risen from the dead

   we shall all live in the resurrection

4. the revival of something

   a resurrection of an old story

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Resurrection Cultural

1. The rising of Jesus from the tomb after his death; a central and distinctive belief of the Christian faith. The Gospels state that after Jesus was crucified and lay in a tomb between Friday evening and Sunday morning, he rose, in body as well as in spirit, and appeared alive to his followers. His resurrection is the basis for the Christian belief that not only Jesus but all Christians will triumph over death. Christians celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Other Word Forms

• nonresurrection noun
• nonresurrectional adjective
• postresurrection noun
• postresurrectional adjective
• resurrectional adjective
• resurrective adjective

Etymology

Origin of resurrection

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin resurrēctiōn-, stem of resurrēctiō, the Easter church festival, from resurrēct(us) “risen again” (past participle of resurgere “to rise again”; resurge ( def. ) ) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He'll start 2026 with gigs in Indonesia and Bali, followed by an extensive UK tour, and the resurrection of his Big Beach Boutique festival on Brighton's seafront.

From BBC

Even by those standards, the resurrection of the namesake heel of “Spartacus: House of Ashur” is quite the feat.

From Salon

The brand's resurrection comes at a time when UK hospitality bosses have complained of a tough trading environment and cost pressures such as increased staffing costs and changes to business rates.

From BBC

Its arrival also marks the resurrection of Criterion’s invaluable Eclipse line, a no-frills, hitherto exclusively DVD series that bundled often-obscure titles, usually grouped by director.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Our position is that the shroud offers evidence of the resurrection, but not proof,” said Nora Creech, a shroud scholar who helped organize the exhibit.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• reappearance
• rebirth
• restoration
• resurgence
• revival

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.