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

The dread comes from fears of a reinterpretation of John Galsworthy’s Nobel Prize-winning books, collectively known as “The Forsyte Saga,” to suit an audience besotted with “Bridgerton” and other sensual period adaptations.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Debates continue today under that reinterpretation of the 1927 regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

But this Christmas, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins has recorded a classical reinterpretation of a viral hit song, and learnt a little Korean in the process.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

Their reinterpretation for the screen had to transcend the text and express a more fantastical inner world.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 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