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

His appellate attorney, Danalynn Pritz, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026

Daniel Kremer, a former presiding justice of the state appellate court’s San Diego branch and former member of the state Judicial Council, has died. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

To date, no federal appellate court has ruled on any of these cases, but that will change in the months ahead. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026

An appellate court in Hong Kong reversed fraud convictions against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai. —CBS News, 26 Feb. 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