Meanings
plural near-death experiences · alternative near death experience
- A sensation of detachment from one's body, the presence of a tunnel of light, the apparent viewing of one's own body from on high, and similar manifestations, experienced by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function.
Everybody has the same story of the near-death experience—my entire life flashed in front of me, the white light and all that—but no one really knows it.
1995 November 26, Laura Mansnerus, quoting Timothy Leary, “At Death's Door, the Message Is Tune In, Turn On, Drop In”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: NDE
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sensation of detachment from one's body, the presence of a tunnel of light, the apparent viewing of one's own body from on high, and similar manifestations, experienced by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function.
Origin
Coined by John C. Lilly in 1972, and popularized by Raymond Moody from 1975.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish nærdødsoplevelse
- nærdødsoplevelseexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Dutch bijna-doodervaring
- bijna-doodervaringexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Finnish kuolemanrajakokemus, rajakokemus
- kuolemanrajakokemusexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- rajakokemusexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
French expérience de mort imminente
- expérience de mort imminenteexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
German Nahtod-Erfahrung, Nahtoderfahrung
- Nahtod-Erfahrungexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- Nahtoderfahrungexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- Nahtodeserfahrungexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- Todesnähe-Erfahrungexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Greek εμπειρία κοντά στον θάνατο
- εμπειρία κοντά στον θάνατο (empeiría kontá ston thánato)experience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Hungarian halálközeli élmény
- halálközeli élményexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Japanese 臨死体験
- 臨死体験 (rinshi-taiken)experience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Norwegian Bokmål nær døden-opplevelse
- nær døden-opplevelseexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Polish otarcie się o śmierć
- otarcie się o śmierćexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Portuguese experiência de quase-morte
- experiência de quase-morteexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Russian околосме́ртные пережива́ния, околосме́ртный о́пыт
- околосме́ртные пережива́ния (okolosmértnyje pereživánija)experience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- околосме́ртный о́пыт (okolosmértnyj ópyt)experience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Spanish experiencia cercana a la muerte, moridera
- experiencia cercana a la muerteexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
- morideraexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Swedish näradödenupplevelse
- näradödenupplevelseexperience by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function
Cite this entry
near-death experience. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near-death%20experience
“near-death experience.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near-death%20experience. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “near-death experience,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near-death%20experience.
Source: near-death experience on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.