reminiscence

noun

rem·​i·​nis·​cence ˌre-mə-ˈni-sᵊn(t)s 

1

: apprehension of a Platonic idea as if it had been known in a previous existence

2

a

: recall to mind of a long-forgotten experience or fact

b

: the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences

3

a

: a remembered experience

b

: an account of a memorable experience

—often used in plural

4

: something so like another as to be regarded as an unconscious repetition, imitation, or survival

Synonyms

• anamnesis
• memory
• recall
• recollection
• remembrance

Choose the Right Synonym for reminiscence

memory, remembrance, recollection, reminiscence mean the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered.

memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered.

gifted with a remarkable memory

that incident was now just a distant memory

remembrance applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered.

any remembrance of his deceased wife was painful

recollection adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort.

after a moment's recollection he produced the name

reminiscence suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past.

my grandmother's reminiscences of her Iowa girlhood

Examples of reminiscence in a Sentence

his reminiscences about the war were painful to hear

we wondered whether she could trust her reminiscence of events that happened so long ago

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a late-harvest glint to the guitar here, distinctly offset by a roadhouse stomp, punctuating Snoop’s poignant reminiscences. —Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2024

Above all, Larraín, as if irresistibly drawn to celebrity—which is to say, channelling what’s least substantial in the two previous films in the trilogy—centers those reminiscences on Maria’s relationship with Onassis (played by Haluk Bilginer). —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

The reminiscence, complete with florid flashbacks, will become important later, but the movie’s narrative engine doesn’t start humming until Martha returns to her gorgeous Manhattan apartment and the two women try to resume their old rapport. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

Gloria obliged, balancing out Jay’s heady rhymes with spoken reminiscences, making the track feel like a mini oral history. —Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

reminiscence

noun

rem·​i·​nis·​cence ˌrem-ə-ˈnis-ᵊn(t)s 

1

a

: a recalling to mind of a past experience

had a pleasant reminiscence of a favorite childhood toy

b

: the process of thinking or telling about past experiences

spent a pleasant hour in reminiscence

2

: an account of a memorable experience

—often used in plural