reminiscence

noun rem·i·nis·cence \-ˈni-s^ən(t)s\

: a story that someone tells about something that happened in the past

: the act of remembering or telling about past experiences

Full Definition of REMINISCENCE

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

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

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

a : a remembered experience

b : an account of a memorable experience —often used in plural

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

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First Known Use of REMINISCENCE

1589

Related to REMINISCENCE

Synonyms: anamnesis, recall, recollection, remembrance, memory

Synonym Discussion of 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>.

REMINISCENCE Defined for Kids