appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of, relating to, or recognizing appeals

specifically : having the power to review the judgment of another tribunal

an appellate court

Examples of appellate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sprowls sued, and an appellate court dismissed the lawsuit, siding with the county party, Davis said. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Jan. 2026

In that ruling, a California appellate court held that voter initiatives can’t be used to approve development agreements. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Jan. 2026

State leaders have periodically floated proposals to overhaul Texas’ appellate system, including shrinking the number of courts, adding justices or redrawing judicial districts based on population. —Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026

Barring an appeal to the appellate court, Koukol’s name will not appear on the Democratic primary ballot. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin appellātus, past participle of appellāre "to appeal against a judgment," going back to Latin, "to speak to, address, apply to for support, refer to a higher authority" — more at appeal entry 2

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appellate

• chelate
• pellet
• prelate
• zealot

Kids Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpel-ət 

: having the power to review the decisions of a lower court

an appellate court

Legal Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of or relating to appeals or the power to hear appeals

the appellate process

an appellate court