reactivation

noun

re·​ac·​ti·​va·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌak-tə-ˈvā-shən 

plural reactivations

: the act or process of making something active again or becoming active again : the act or process of reactivating or the condition of being reactivated

reactivation of a dormant virus

reactivation of several warships

Examples of reactivation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). —Korin Miller, SELF, 4 June 2025

Santora said the county’s cases are usually a reactivation of old infections or cases where a latent infection converted to an active one. —Cameron MacDonald, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

The study states that repeated HSV-1 reactivation can trigger chronic tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to tau toxicity and, thus, neurodegeneration. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025

That reactivation takes place in the animal's muscle, which appears to be a key tissue in the process of sensing the damage and inducing regeneration. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reactivation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

reactivation

noun

re·​ac·​ti·​va·​tion -ˌak-tə-ˈvā-shən 

: the act or process of reactivating or condition of being reactivated