terminal lucidity en · NOUN
Etymology
From terminal + lucidity.
Meanings
-
(uncountable) A rare, mysterious phenomenon when someone with a severe neurological or psychiatric condition (like dementia) experiences a sudden, temporary return of mental clarity, memory, and personality just before death, allowing for clear communication and recognition; appearing one's old self for a brief period before passing away.
Terminal lucidity was reported by 60% of the participants in Santos et al.’s (2017) study and by 73% of the participants in Claxton-Oldfield and Richard’s (2022) study.
2026 June 14, Stephen Claxton-Oldfield, Sara MacEachern, “Undergraduate Students’ Awareness of and Beliefs About Unusual End-of-Life Phenomena”, in Omega, volume 93, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, page 1224:
Synonyms
surge · pre-mortem surge · rallying · energy surge · terminal rally · end-of-life experience · rally