reverie
gb/ɹˈɛvɚi/ us/ɹˈɛvɚi/
C1
English
~ 8900
révedezés, ábránd, rêverie, vigalom
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
1
révedezés
C1
Usage pattern:
be in (a) reverie
She stared out of the train window, lost in a reverie as the fields slid past.
A vonat ablakán bámult kifelé, révedezésbe merülve, miközben elsiklottak a mezők.
The sudden knock at the door shattered his reverie.
Az ajtón hallatszó hirtelen kopogás szétfoszlatta a révedezését.
He often slips into a quiet reverie after dinner, thinking about his childhood.
Sunset over the lake left her in a peaceful reverie, oblivious to the noise behind her.
Learner examples
He sat by the window in a reverie.
Az ablak mellett ült, révedezésbe merülve.
The loud phone ring broke my reverie.
A hangos telefoncsörgés kizökkentett a révedezésből.
On the bus, I fell into a reverie and missed my stop.
She was in a reverie and did not hear her name.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'reverie' with 'reverence' (deep respect) or 'revelry' (noisy partying) because they look similar. Also, learners may overuse 'reverie' in everyday conversation; in spoken English, 'daydream' is more common, while 'reverie' sounds more literary or poetic.
Meaning
pleasant state of daydreaming
Collocations
lost in a reverie
|in a reverie
|drift into a reverie
|sink into a reverie
|wake from his reverie
|break her reverie
Synonyms
daydream (More common and neutral; often used in everyday speech instead of the more literary 'reverie'.)
|
trance (Suggests a deeper or more hypnotic state and can be less pleasant or more intense than 'reverie'.)
|
absorption (Focuses on being mentally occupied, not specifically on the pleasant or dreamy quality of the state.)
Antonyms
alertness (Emphasizes being fully aware of and focused on the surroundings, the opposite of drifting into reverie.)
|
attentiveness (Highlights actively paying close attention instead of being pleasantly lost in thought.)
Themes
emotions
|mental_states
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A pleasant dream-like state when you are awake and thinking deeply, not really noticing what is around you.
A pleasant, dreamy state in which someone is deeply lost in their own thoughts and only dimly aware of what is happening around them.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
2
ábránd
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s reveries about [something]
Her reveries about life in another country made the small office feel even smaller.
A másik országbeli életről szőtt ábrándjai még kisebbnek éreztették a szűk irodát.
He spent the afternoon in gentle reveries of his student days.
A délutánt diákéveiről szőtt szelíd ábrándok közt töltötte.
The book invites readers into the narrator’s private reveries and fears.
On long walks, his reveries often turn to what his life might have been.
Learner examples
On the train, her reveries were about her future home.
A vonaton a leendő otthonáról szőtt ábrándok foglalkoztatták.
He smiled, lost in reveries of his first love.
Mosolyogva merült el az első szerelméről szőtt ábrándjaiban.
My reveries often start with one small memory.
The movie took me into strange reveries about space and time.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that 'reveries' is usually plural when referring to repeated or varied dreamlike thoughts. They may also confuse it with 'dreams' during sleep; 'reveries' happen while you are awake.
Meaning
series of pleasant dreamy thoughts
Collocations
childhood reveries
|romantic reveries
|private reveries
|idle reveries
|sweet reveries
|melancholy reveries
Synonyms
daydreams (The closest everyday equivalent; more common and less literary than 'reveries'.)
|
fantasies (Often suggests more elaborate, unreal or wishful images than the gentle, drifting mood of 'reveries'.)
|
musings (Emphasizes reflective or thoughtful consideration, sometimes less visual or dreamy than 'reveries'.)
Antonyms
realities (Contrasts the imagined or dreamlike nature of reveries with actual events and facts.)
|
practical concerns (Opposes the imaginative, inward focus of reveries with concrete, real-world problems or tasks.)
Themes
emotions
|imagination
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A series of nice, dream-like thoughts you have when you are awake, often about wishes, memories, or the future.
A sequence of pleasant, dreamlike thoughts or images that someone has while awake, often about imagined situations or memories.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
rêverie
C2
Usage pattern:
compose/play a reverie for [instrument]
The pianist opened the recital with a quiet reverie that immediately hushed the audience.
A zongorista egy halk rêverie-vel nyitotta a hangversenyt, amely azonnal elcsendesítette a közönséget.
Debussy’s early reverie remains a favorite among amateur pianists.
Debussy korai Rêverie-je ma is kedvelt darab az amatőr zongoristák körében.
The composer described the piece as a reverie for strings, meant to suggest drifting clouds.
Learner examples
The last song in the concert was a piano reverie.
A koncert utolsó darabja egy zongorára írt rêverie volt.
She wrote a short reverie for violin and piano.
Egy rövid rêverie-t írt hegedűre és zongorára.
This reverie is slow and soft, and it makes me feel calm.
Common mistake:
Learners might assume any calm piece of music can be called a 'reverie'; in practice, it is mainly used in titles or in more technical musical descriptions, not for all slow music.
Meaning
dreamy musical composition
Collocations
piano reverie
|orchestral reverie
|Romantic-era reverie
|Debussy's "Rêverie"
|lyrical reverie
|instrumental reverie
Synonyms
nocturne (A related type of dreamy piano piece, but usually specifically inspired by or associated with night, while 'reverie' more generally suggests dreaminess.)
|
meditation (In music titles, can also mean a reflective piece, but may sound more serious or religious than 'reverie'.)
Antonyms
march (A march is rhythmically strong and driving, the opposite of the soft, floating feel of a reverie.)
|
scherzo (Often lively and playful in contrast to the calm dreamy mood of a reverie.)
Themes
music
|arts
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A short piece of music, usually soft and slow, that sounds dreamy and calm, often written for one instrument like the piano.
A short musical composition with a gentle, dreamy, and reflective character, often for a solo instrument such as piano.
NOUN
C2
ARCHAIC
4
vigalom
C1
Usage pattern:
nighttime reveries in the streets
The tavern echoed with the reveries of sailors on shore leave.
A kocsma a szabadságra jött tengerészek vigalmától visszhangzott.
By dawn the town, which had been alive with reveries, lay silent once more.
Hajnalra a város, amely addig vigalmaktól volt hangos, ismét elcsendesedett.
He shut his window against the reveries of the drunken crowd below.
Learner examples
In old stories, the king’s birthday was a time of great reveries.
A régi történetekben a király születésnapja nagy vigalmak ideje volt.
The writer described the reveries in the old city streets.
Az író leírta a régi város utcáin zajló vigalmakat.
This meaning of 'reverie' is old and now people usually say 'revelry'.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes misread older texts and think this sense of 'reverie' (noisy celebration) is still common. In modern English it is very rare; the usual word today is 'revelry'.
Meaning
noisy party or revelry (archaic)
Collocations
midnight reveries
|drunken reveries
|street reveries
|carefree reveries
Synonyms
revelry (The standard modern word for noisy celebrations; 'reverie' with this meaning now sounds old-fashioned or is mainly seen in historical texts.)
Antonyms
sobriety (Contrasts with the drinking and wild behavior typical of such reveries.)
|
quiet (Opposes the loud, boisterous nature of an archaic 'reverie'.)
Themes
history
|social_life
|arts_entertainment
|daily_life
Definition
(Old use) A loud and wild party with a lot of noise, fun, and often alcohol.
(Archaic) Boisterous festivity or noisy merrymaking, especially involving drinking and late-night celebration.
Grammar
Dictionary form
reverie
IPA
GB/ɹˈɛvɚi/
US/ɹˈɛvɚi/
Syllables & stress
rev - er - ie (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (rev)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: reverie
- Plural: reverie, reveries
Word family
Forms
reveries
noun
Expressions
break someone’s reverie
1/bɹˈeɪk sˈʌmwˌʌnz ɹˈɛvɚi/
fixed phrase
literary
interrupt someone’s dreamy thoughts
To make someone stop daydreaming and notice what is happening around them.
Examples
- The teacher’s voice broke his reverie and he quickly closed his notebook.
- A loud bang in the street broke her reverie.
in a reverie
1/ˈɪn ə ɹˈɛvɚi/
fixed phrase
literary
in a dreamy mental state
In a pleasant, dream-like state when you are awake and thinking deeply.
Examples
- The old man sat in a reverie, listening to the rain on the roof.
- She walked home in a reverie, hardly seeing the cars and people around her.
lost in reverie
1/lˈɔst ˈɪn ɹˈɛvɚi/
fixed phrase
literary
deeply absorbed in dreamy thoughts
Thinking in a deep, pleasant, dream-like way so that you do not notice what is happening around you.
Examples
- She didn’t hear me come in; she was lost in reverie by the window.
- He sat on the park bench, lost in reverie as children played nearby.
sink into a reverie
1/sˈɪŋk ˈɪntu ə ɹˈɛvɚi/
fixed phrase
literary
gradually begin daydreaming deeply
Slowly start to feel dreamy and lost in your thoughts while you are awake.
Examples
- After reading the letter, he sank into a reverie about what might have been.
- As the music played, she sank into a reverie and forgot the time.