rejuvenate

American  

[ri-joo-vuh-neyt] / rɪˈdʒu vəˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

rejuvenated, rejuvenating

1. to make young again; restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc..

   That vacation has certainly rejuvenated him.

2. to restore to a former state; make fresh or new again.

   to rejuvenate an old sofa.

3. Physical Geography.

   1. to renew the activity, erosive power, etc., of (a stream) by uplift or by removal of a barrier in the stream bed.

   2. to impress again the characters of youthful topography on (a region) by the action of rejuvenated streams.

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verb (used without object)

rejuvenated, rejuvenating

1. to undergo rejuvenation; revive.

rejuvenate British  

/ rɪˈdʒuːvɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to give new youth, restored vitality, or youthful appearance to

2. (usually passive) geography

   1. to cause (a river) to begin eroding more vigorously to a new lower base level, usually because of uplift of the land

   2. to cause (a land surface) to develop youthful features

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Other Word Forms

• rejuvenation noun
• rejuvenative adjective
• rejuvenator noun
• unrejuvenated adjective
• unrejuvenating adjective

Etymology

Origin of rejuvenate

First recorded in 1800–10; re- + Latin juven(is) “young” + -ate ¹; young

Explanation

When you make something young again or give it more life and energy, you rejuvenate it. For example, you can often rejuvenate a not-quite-dead plant, bringing it back to health with some water and some TLC. One way to remember the word rejuvenate is to pick it apart to its heart, the juve. This juve sounds like juvenile — which refers to youth. Add the prefix re, which means "again," and the "ate" suffix, which stands for "do or make." Put them all together and you get "make young again" — the meaning of rejuvenate. We all want to be younger, as witnessed by all the ads for products that promise to rejuvenate us through special cosmetics or foods or exercise equipment.

Example Sentences

Scott hopes this shuttling around of his stem cells, a procedure that costs patients $10,000, will rejuvenate his 82-year-old body and ward off the effects of aging.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

He brought on dozens of former Nikola staffers to rejuvenate it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Players have compared the game, in which they control a human-like character to rejuvenate a village, to "Animal Crossing" -- another Nintendo life-sim that became a hit during the pandemic.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

If I don’t have practice, then that’s typically what I’m doing, cleaning my house and starting to rejuvenate my body differently.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Spirits flurried around inside her to rejuvenate whatever damage had been done as she rose and took an uneasy step forward.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• modernize
• reconstruct
• refresh
• regenerate
• reinvigorate
• renew
• renovate
• restore
• revitalize