reminiscence
rem-uh-NIS-unss
/ˌrem.ɪˈnɪs.əns/
A story or account of past experiences narrated by someone, or the act of remembering past events.
Focuses on the cognitive act or spoken retelling of memories.
The story behind the word. Derived from Late Latin 'reminiscentia', combining 're-' (again) and 'mens' (mind), highlighting the process of bringing thoughts back into consciousness.
Word relationships
- recollection: Recollection is neutral factual memory retrieval; reminiscence implies pleasure in telling or reflecting.
- memoir: A memoir is a written book-length autobiography, while reminiscence can be a brief spoken memory.
- forgetfulness: Forgetfulness is the inability or failure to retain memories.
Commonly confused with
- reminisce: Reminiscence is the noun (the story/act); reminisce is the verb (to recall).
Word family
- reminisce (verb): To recall past events fondly.
- reminiscent (adjective): Tending to remind one of something.
Collocations
- fond reminiscence
- fond reminiscences
- indulge in reminiscence
- vivid reminiscence
Idioms & expressions
- walk down memory lane
Example sentences
- "The old man shared a charming reminiscence about his days as a young sailor." Storytelling
- "Her book is full of vivid reminiscence from her travels across Southern Europe." Memoirs
Memory hook
REMINIscence = REMINDing yourself of MINIsodes (mini episodes) of your life. Re-mind-isence = Mind returning to the past.
When not to use
Avoid using to mean the emotional pain itself; it refers to the memory or story itself.
Fun facts
- In legal terms, reminiscence was once discussed in psychological witness theory as spontaneous memory recovery.
Related words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.