Dictionary

reinvent en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˌɹiɪnˈvɜnt] (Inland-Northern-American)
• /ˌɹiɪnˈvɛnt/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ɹiːɪnˈvɛnt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌɹiɪnˈvɛnt/ (California)
• (US) audio
• [ˌɹiɪnˈvænt] (Inland-Northern-American)
• /ˌɹiɪnˈvɛnt/ (Inland-Northern-American)
• [ˌɹiɪnˈvænt] (California)
• [ˌɹiɪnˈvɐnt] (Inland-Northern-American)
• /ɹiːɪnˈvent/ (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English invent English reinvent From re- + invent.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To invent again something that has already been invented.
   • Overprocessing. The big problem in this area is a lack of standardization. A lot of time is spent reinventing the wheel. There are a lot of similar activities, and the lead time (set-up time) for reinventing the process should be eliminated. 2012, Gerhard J[ohannes] Plenert, “How Can Lean Help IT?”, in Lean Management Principles for Information Technology (Series on Resource Management), Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, →ISBN, table 5.4 (The 7 Wastes in IT), page 129:
   • A narrative circulates at Mitchell, Hall about a naive young employee who, in his eagerness to be creative, "reinvents the wheel," devoting so many hours reformulating work that has already been done that he drives himself into a nervous breakdown. 1993, Marsha Witten, “Narrative and the Culture of Obedience at the Workplace”, in Dennis K. Mumby, editor, Narrative and Social Control: Critical Perspectives (Sage Annual Reviews of Communications Research; 21), Newbury Park, Calif.; London: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, page 108:
2. (transitive) To adapt into a different form; to give a new style or image to.
   • When Lew Wasserman reinvented the studio system, leadership skills grew harder to find and the number of modern studio conglomerates boiled down to six, as discussed in chapters 15 to 20. 2019, Douglas Gomery, The Hollywood Studio System: A History, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:
   • He had the ability to reinvent himself as needed.
   • The compulsion to expose, renegotiate, or reinvent the strengths and weaknesses of dance tradition offers little in its final outcome to attract the average dance-goer. 2013, Deborah Hay, My Body, The Buddhist, →ISBN, page 78:

Forms

Deriveds

reinventable · reinventor · reinvent the wheel · reinventive

Translations (8)

sv återuppfinna (to invent again something that has already been invented) · es reinventar (to invent again something that has already been invented) · de wiedererfinden (to invent again something that has already been invented) · ru изобрета́ть велосипе́д (to invent again something that has already been invented) · nl heruitvinden (to invent again something that has already been invented) · pt reinventar (to invent again something that has already been invented) · de neu erfinden (to invent again something that has already been invented) · bg преоткривам (to invent again something that has already been invented)