reinterpretation

American  

[ree-in-tur-pri-tay-shuhn] / ˌri ɪnˌtɜr prɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of interpreting something in a new or different way.

2. a new interpretation or understanding of something.

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Explanation

If something is explained or defined in a new or different way, you can say it is a reinterpretation. If you see a rap version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," that is a reinterpretation. Reinterpretation has as its base the word interpret, which is from the Latin word interpretari, which means "explain or understand." If you are a detective working on a cold case, you have to reexamine the evidence. It is possible that you will catch something that others missed before, leading you to a reinterpretation of the case — and perhaps an arrest.

Example Sentences

In many cases, critics frame objections around “historical accuracy” or fidelity to source material, while supporters argue mythology and fiction have always evolved through reinterpretation and artistic adaptation.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

Debates continue today under that reinterpretation of the 1927 regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

This reinterpretation reshapes how scientists view both the evolutionary history and the complex biogeography of this remarkably successful freshwater group, she added.

From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2025

It's a reinterpretation of Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller High and Low, "played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City".

From BBC • May 12, 2025

The idea of discovery simply could not take hold in a culture so preoccupied with Biblical chronology and liturgical repetition on the one hand, and secular ideas of rebirth, recurrence and reinterpretation on the other.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton