revelation
revelation — noun
1. a piece of information that was previously kept hidden and is now made known to
a piece of information that was previously kept hidden and is now made known to others, or the moment when such information comes to light
The diary contained shocking revelations about Quinn's childhood that no one had suspected.
revelation + about + noun phrase
Xiu's sudden revelation that she was moving to Japan took the whole team by surprise.
revelation + that-clause
The documentary made the startling revelation that the company had been hiding safety failures for years.
It took a decade for the full revelation of the scandal to reach the public.
- disclosure
more neutral and formal, often used in legal or business contexts
- bombshell
informal and dramatic, suggesting a shocking revelation
- exposé
specifically refers to the revelation of wrongdoing, often after investigation
- secret
something kept hidden rather than revealed
文法句型
revelation + that-clause
revelation + about + noun
用法筆記
Frequently paired with adjectives like 'shocking', 'startling', 'bombshell' to emphasise the surprising nature of what is revealed. Can be both countable ('a revelation') and uncountable ('full revelation').
常見錯誤
2. someone or something that surprises you because they turn out to be far better,
someone or something that surprises you because they turn out to be far better, more impressive, or more enjoyable than you had expected
The tiny bakery on the corner was a revelation — Kemi had never tasted bread so fresh.
pattern: [noun] + was a revelation
Élise disliked modern art, but the gallery visit was a complete revelation.
complete revelation — intensifier used with this sense
Sade joined the team last month — her court skills were a revelation to the coaches.
The canyon hiking trail was a revelation — Devika had not expected such beauty.
- eye-opener
more informal; can describe both pleasant and unpleasant surprises
- epiphany
suggests a sudden, profound insight, often intellectual or spiritual rather than merely pleasant
- disappointment
something that falls short of expectations
文法句型
noun + is/was + a revelation
用法筆記
Almost always used in the singular pattern 'X is/was a revelation'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not take a that-clause — you would not say 'it was a revelation that...' for this meaning. The pleasant connotation is built into the sense; adding 'pleasant' is redundant.
常見錯誤
3. a truth, message, or piece of knowledge believed to be communicated directly fro
a truth, message, or piece of knowledge believed to be communicated directly from a divine being or supernatural source to a human
According to tradition, the prophet received a revelation from God while meditating in the desert.
revelation + from + divine source
Soraya sat beside her grandmother reciting the Quran and felt each verse as divine revelation.
uncountable: divine revelation as a concept
Tariq's grandmother often spoke of a revelation she had about forgiveness during her pilgrimage.
The temple carvings depict a revelation given to an ancient sage.
- divine inspiration
emphasises the spiritual source of the insight
- prophecy
specifically a revelation about future events
- vision
a revelation experienced as a visual image or dream
文法句型
revelation + from + noun
revelation + about + noun
用法筆記
When capitalised ('the Revelation of St John' or 'the Book of Revelation'), it refers specifically to the last book of the Christian New Testament — that is a proper-noun use, separate from the general sense described here.