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rebirth

rebirth

9 7.2
The belief that a soul begins a new life in a different human body after death
  • noun
  • /ˌriːˈbɜrθ/
translation icon : reencarnación
  • A continuous cycle of life: birth, death and rebirth until we attain nirvana.
  • death and rebirth
  • cycle of rebirth
  • rebirth experiences

The mythic cycle is all about death and rebirth.

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Examples

  • Through birth and rebirth, we Buddhists hope to learn from our mistakes.

  • One attains Nirvana, or "extinction," and leaves the painful cycle of rebirth, or Samsara.

    Academic text (1999)
  • " Yes, rebirth, for I was dead to so much before my... my death," he said.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • What is the day of death and rebirth?

  • Death would bring her rebirth.

  • But with death comes rebirth.

  • With every death there comes rebirth.

  • You will undergo death and rebirth, resurrection, if you like.

  • One's actions, good or ill, govern the prospect of one's next rebirth.

    Academic text (2010)
  • In many religions, people believe in rebirth after death as a way for the soul to begin anew.

Synonyms

reincarnation
vsrebirth
41 7.1

Belief that a person's soul is born again in a new body after death

is the main simple term used for that belief
incarnation
vsrebirth
10 7.9

A life in a new body after death, as some religions teach

is the process of a soul starting another human life after death
transmigration
vsrebirth
  • Literature
2 9.9

A belief that a soul moves into another body after death

is narrower, focusing on a soul starting a new human life
metempsychosis
vsrebirth
  • Literature
1 9.9

A belief that after death a soul moves into another person or animal to live again

limits the idea to starting a new human life after death
cycle of rebirth
vsrebirth
  • Literature
1 7.6

A process of being born again after death many times until you become free

refers to a single occurrence of a soul starting a new human life
reincarnationism
vsrebirth
9.9

A belief that a person's soul lives again in a new body after death

is the basic belief itself rather than the organized doctrine
palingenesis
vsrebirth
  • Specialized
9.9

A process in which someone or something is made new again

is specifically the religious idea of a soul starting a new human life
palingenesia
vsrebirth
  • Formal
9.9

A rebirth of the soul after a hard time

applies narrowly to the belief of a soul starting a new human life

Antonyms

20 6.2

The state of being finished and not able to change

Compounds

cycle of rebirth
  • Literature
1 7.6

A process of being born again after death many times until you become free

A deep change in the way a person lives after a spiritual awakening

Surface Forms

rebirth singular
rebirths plural

Morphology

rebirth = birth (semi-transparent) = re + birth

The structure clearly suggests 'birth again', but the specific doctrinal sense of reincarnation is more specialized than the literal composition alone.

Etymology

Rebirth is made from re- 'again' and birth 'being born', and it is often used to mean a soul being born again in a new body, as in reincarnation.