readjust

American  

[ree-uh-juhst] / ˌri əˈdʒʌst /

verb (used with object)

readjusts, present (3rd person singular) readjusted, past participle, past readjusting present participle

1. to adjust again or anew; rearrange.

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readjust British  

/ ˌriːəˈdʒʌst /

verb

1. to adjust or adapt (oneself or something) again, esp after an initial failure

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• readjuster
  noun
• readjustment
  noun
• readjustable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• readjusting
  present
• readjusted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• readjust
  simple
• readjusts
  simple
• have readjusted
  perfect
• has readjusted
  perfect
• am readjusting
  progressive
• are readjusting
  progressive
• is readjusting
  progressive
• have been readjusting
  perfect progressive
• has been readjusting
  perfect progressive

Past

• readjusted
  simple
• had readjusted
  perfect
• was readjusting
  progressive
• were readjusting
  progressive
• had been readjusting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will readjust
  simple
• will have readjusted
  perfect
• will be readjusting
  progressive
• will have been readjusting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of readjust

First recorded in 1735–45; re- + adjust

Explanation

You could readjust your TV antenna, your thinking, or the collar of your shirt. Whatever it is, when you readjust something, you make slight changes again and again until you get it right. When you adjust something, you make a change in order to improve something, such as a driver adjusting the side-view mirror on a car in order to see other cars better. So, when you add the prefix re-, it means "to adjust over and over." In the case of the mirror, you would readjust its angle until you can see perfectly well from your seat in the car.

Related Words

• adapt
• adjust
• alter
• regulate