relegation

[rel-i-gey-shuhn]

noun

1. assignment or banishment to an inferior position, place, rank, or condition.

   Many factors are responsible for the relegation of disabled people to the margins of society.

   The pending legislation shows the relegation of environmental concerns toward the bottom of the priority list in energy politics.

2. Soccer.,  demotion to a lower playing league or division based on a team’s record.

   The European leagues are a meritocratic hierarchy connected by promotion and relegation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of relegation¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin relēgātiōn-, stem of relēgātiō “a sending away, banishment”; relegate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Luton believe they have a manager who can add some magic to a club who have tumble from the Premier League to League One with successive relegations.

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Luton won promotion to the Premier League under Rob Edwards in 2023, but the Hatters spent just one season in the top flight and suffered a second consecutive relegation last season.

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Appoint Kevin Muscat now please and don't consider the other mediocre "did well from limited resources or staved off relegation" candidates please.

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Luton, who have suffered back-to-back relegations, have experienced a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign with five defeats from their opening 11 games to leave them 11th in League One.

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"When I first came to the club we were in a relegation battle and there wasn't much in it, either," forward Dean Hadley, who joined in 2019, added.

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Related Words

• banishment 
• discharge 
• displacement 
• ejection 
• eviction 
• exclusion 
• ouster 
• purge 
• removal 
• suspension