The students are seated, the exam papers have been given out, and there is pin-drop silence in the room.
The race to ace the exam has started. But you are stuck on a question. Even though you revised and prepared for the test, you can’t seem to remember the answer.
Just when you are about to lose hope, you suddenly remember some of the facts. You just had an epiphany.
We tend to have many realizations throughout our lives. Some are superficial such as when you suddenly remember where you kept your keys.
While others are deep, they tend to change the course of your life for good. If you’ve been in such situations, then you have had an epiphany.
What does the word ‘epiphany’ mean?
The word ‘epiphany’ is used to describe the moment when you have a sudden realization, and you become conscious of something very important for you. Epiphany is a sudden conscious realization of reality due to some event that is simple and striking.
A situation in which you suddenly understand something or understand the true meaning or reality of something is an epiphany. Epiphany also refers to a powerful religious experience, one that changes your perspective and outlook of life and the world. Epiphany is also a Christian holiday celebrated by the Christians in January that marks the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world.
How to use epiphany in a sentence
Epiphany is used in a sentence to refer to the moment when you had a sudden realization. Sometimes when a huge calamity falls onto us, such as a severe car accident, we tend to have an epiphany about the importance of living your life to the fullest.
Sometimes due to unexpected events such as a natural disaster, you can lose everything you had, including your wealth, home, or loved ones. This is when you have an epiphany about the blessings that you had before the calamity hit.
Another example of using epiphany in a sentence is when you are in the examination hall, and you can’t remember the answer to a question.
Then you have a sudden realization or epiphany about the facts that you learned at school.
How to use “epiphany” in a sentence: Examples
1) The traumatic epiphany changed my life completely.
2) My friend stopped in the middle of the airport, and in that instant, it was as if she had an epiphany that made her rush back to her family.
3) After a very long time, going to the church made me have an epiphany about the purpose of life.
4) When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had an epiphany about the importance of life, and I decided to live every day to its fullest.
5) The doctor’s warning about my health triggered the epiphany that encouraged me to shed the extra pounds and eat healthily.
6) The horrific accident made me have an epiphany about living life to its fullest.
7) As I grew older, I experienced an epiphany that there was always discrimination between girls and boys.
8) His psychologist reports that he experiences an epiphany one after the other, followed by a period of low self-esteem and isolation.
9) My psychiatrist’s visit made me have an epiphany that gave me a perspective and outlook on life.
10) When I got older, I had an epiphany that the world is full of oppression.
People tend to look for and wake for moments of epiphany.
Epiphany is the moment when you finally figure something out, and a wave of excitement rushes down their body. The epiphany feeling is a great one, but what you do with the realization is what matters.
We are so dependent on our day-to-day habits that changing our behaviors is a very difficult task. But luckily, most epiphanies force us to see our life and ourselves in a new light.
To get a new outlook and perspective on life. An epiphany is followed by our decision to either use it positively or negatively. That brings us to the next step, which is courage.
We must build up the courage to live out the epiphany and make it become a reality. Everybody experiences powerful moments throughout their life. It is then upon them what they wish to do with them.
You can either use the epiphany as an opportunity to change your life by putting it into practice and bringing about change. Or you can let it fade away.
Different forms of epiphanies
Different types of epiphanies often result due to our previous knowledge, experiences, memory, events, predisposition, and the current affairs and context.
An example of an epiphany related to students and education can be when students finally understand a topic or concept.
The student gets a clarification of thought. But despite this popular meaning, epiphany is a result of previous work and knowledge. It is a result of a very long process.
The experience and feeling of epiphany are followed by fulfillment and happiness because one never knows when their hard work will lay off.
Our subconscious mind is always working, and it can play an information role in making you realize. It is also very fulfilling because it is like a reward that lasts for a very long period of time.
What are the origins of the word epiphany?
The noun Epiphany originates from a Greek word, ‘epiphainein,’ which means to ‘reveal,’ ‘appearance,’ or ‘manifestation.’
Typically referring to the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world.
It was initially used in the English language in its religious context or meaning during the 14th century. It was used in the 17th century to refer to a sudden appearance or manifestation of a divine or supernatural existence.
But in the 19th-century epiphany was used to refer to a moment of revelation.
Since then, this meaning has weakened over the years, and now epiphany is simply used to refer to a moment of realization or insight. A moment in which, you suddenly understand the reality of something or remember something important to you.
The bottom line
The English language is an in-depth language that requires a proper understanding of every word, its origins, and its uses. The word ‘epiphany’ also has two meanings.
But the use of one of its meanings which is the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world is no longer used. Now epiphany generally refers to a sudden realization or sudden grasp of reality.
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.