recollection
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of remembering something from the past.
the cognitive act or process of recalling information or events to the mind.
Simple“To the best of my recollection, we never discussed that specific price.”
In context“The witness's recollection of the events was clouded by the passage of time and the stress of the situation.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'to the best of my recollection'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a specific memory of something that happened.
a specific instance of something recalled to the mind; a reminiscence.
Simple“She shared a vivid recollection of her first day at primary school.”
In context“His memoirs are filled with fond recollections of the summers he spent in the countryside during his youth.”
Synonymsmemoryreminiscence - 03 C2 Proficiency
a state of quiet focus or a short religious retreat.
the act of concentrating the mind, particularly in a spiritual or meditative context; often refers to a short religious retreat.
Simple“The monks spent the afternoon in silent recollection.”
In context“The weekend was designed as a period of spiritual recollection, allowing participants to detach from worldly concerns through guided meditation.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
the act of gathering things together again.
the process of collecting items or materials again after they have been dispersed.
Simple“The recollection of the chemical waste took several weeks to complete.”
In context“Efficient recollection of recyclable materials is a cornerstone of the city's new environmental sustainability initiative.”
UsageUsually refers to physical objects or data rather than mental processes.
SynonymsregatheringrecoveryAntonyms
“Gartshore maintained that she has no recollection of using the hairdryer on her baby.”
“In the screen version, he highlights the disparity that exists between separate recollections of identical events.”
Via French récollection or the verb recollect, both from Latin recollectus, the past participle of recolligere (“to collect again”), itself from re- + colligere (“to gather”).
From re- + collection.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.