recollection

noun

rec·​ol·​lec·​tion ˌre-kə-ˈlek-shən 

1

a

: tranquility of mind

b

: religious contemplation

2

a

: the action or power of recalling to mind

b

: something recalled to the mind

Synonyms

• anamnesis
• memory
• recall
• remembrance
• reminiscence

Choose the Right Synonym for recollection

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 recollection in a Sentence

Her recollection of the accident is very different from mine.

She has only a vague recollection of her seventh birthday party.

His novel is largely based on his own recollections of his childhood in the inner city.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bhogal’s recollection of their conversation — their only call — offers the most detailed public account of Mangione during the months leading up to his arrest. —Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025

The narrative runs through recollections of heading to Mother Emanuel with his parents and siblings as a child, the moment authorities confirmed his sister’s death and the state’s history of racial violence. —Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2025

No carpet, no decorations, and no recollection of Pike, 34, and their child, 2-month-old Destinii remained, except for a poster with their pictures sitting on top of a cabinet in the walk-in bedroom closet, where Destinii’s nursery had once been set up. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025

For anyone with sharp recollections of the heady rush of first love and the obsessive fixation on one person to the exclusion of all else, Dreams will strike chords. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing recollection

• have no recollection
• to the best of someone's recollection

Rhymes for recollection

• circumspection
• disaffection
• disconnection
• disinfection
• dorsiflexion
• imperfection
• indirection
• insurrection
• intellection
• interjection
• intersection
• introjection

Kids Definition

recollection

noun

rec·​ol·​lec·​tion ˌrek-ə-ˈlek-shən 

1

: the action or power of recalling to mind

2

: something recalled to the mind