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

If this debt was slated to fall off your credit report due to the statute of limitations, reactivation could hurt your credit. —Staff, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025

First, those who had more shingles episodes (and thus more viral reactivations) had higher rates of dementia. —Christopher M. Worsham, Time, 4 Apr. 2025

But being vigilant and seeking medical attention at the first sign of the illness—which is caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same culprit behind chicken pox—can make a big difference in your recovery. —Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 9 Apr. 2025

The most obvious explanation would be that if the reactivation of the virus during a shingles episode predisposes someone to developing dementia, preventing reactivation with the vaccine would reduce the risk of developing dementia. —Christopher M. Worsham, Time, 4 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