1
as in exiling
to force to leave a country
courtiers and generals who incurred the emperor's disfavor were soon relegated to the farther reaches of the empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in classifying
to arrange or assign according to type
some psychologists argue that the syndrome should be relegated to a different class of autism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relegating
In fairness to Wyle, going all in on a night-shift season would turn The Pitt into an entirely different show, and relegating it to a spinoff would probably mean getting less night shift on The Pitt proper and no one wants that.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Boomer Esiason, the 1988 NFL MVP, was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Jets in 1993, relegating Nagle to a reserve role.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The governorship was also open in 2010, and as is so often the case in this state, that marquee race seized the attention of the media and public, relegating the race for attorney general to the inside pages of newspapers and the dirt-track political circuit.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
What more could Long Rife have accomplished in a world that has pushed women’s basketball to the front, instead of relegating it to a sideshow?
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
The polarizing Le Pen qualified for the second-round runoff against Chirac, the incumbent and first-round winner, by a whisker, relegating Jospin to third place.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Still, a handful of spots across Orange County (many relegating the dining style to Sunday brunches) continue to keep the format alive, and well worth a trip.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
James Borrego had been utilizing a big lineup, relegating Jeremiah Fears to a reserve role, but Fears played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Boomer Esiason, the 1988 NFL MVP, was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Jets in 1993, relegating Nagle to a reserve role.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The governorship was also open in 2010, and as is so often the case in this state, that marquee race seized the attention of the media and public, relegating the race for attorney general to the inside pages of newspapers and the dirt-track political circuit.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
What more could Long Rife have accomplished in a world that has pushed women’s basketball to the front, instead of relegating it to a sideshow?
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
The polarizing Le Pen qualified for the second-round runoff against Chirac, the incumbent and first-round winner, by a whisker, relegating Jospin to third place.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Still, a handful of spots across Orange County (many relegating the dining style to Sunday brunches) continue to keep the format alive, and well worth a trip.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
James Borrego had been utilizing a big lineup, relegating Jeremiah Fears to a reserve role, but Fears played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relegating
Verb
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The anti-Zionist project of ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state implies killing, subjugating, or re-exiling more than half of the world’s Jewish population.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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Ruthlessly exiling those players sent a clear message about the importance of squad harmony, but arguably handed the leverage in negotiations to buying clubs, driving down their prices and delaying their departures.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization responsible for classifying celestial bodies.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Isaacman is referring to the American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, classifying it as a planet.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Angels could be seen all around — some on the walls depicting Moses' life and death, and another above, on Michelangelo’s fresco, banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Kings also had inept special teams, ranking 28th in the NHL on the power play and 30th in penalty-killing.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
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Cabral most recently served as chief of the civil division, one of the highest-ranking leadership positions in the office.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The judge issued an order to federal immigration officials to immediately release the family of the suspect in the attack, Mohamed Soliman, from a Texas immigration detention center, and barred the government from deporting or removing them from the Western District of Texas.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The attorneys in the filing do not mention if the government intends on deporting Batra to a third country.—
Juhi Doshi,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The second distinguishing feature of liveblogs is their tone of voice, which is often dialogic in nature.—
Daniel Jackson,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
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Technology enables simultaneous production of hydrogen The team also pointed out that this technology enables the simultaneous production of hydrogen and chemical feedstocks such as formate, distinguishing it from conventional water electrolysis processes that produce only hydrogen.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The distance separating Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy along the California State Route 56 corridor is roughly 2½ miles.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
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The contact zone there spans the Danube, the river's width of around 1,640 feet -- less than three football fields -- separating Romania and its NATO defenses from the Ukrainian river ports that have for years been a focus of Russia's long-range drone and missile bombardments.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Forty years later, Moscow is once again placing Chornobyl at immense risk — this time through a violent war of aggression that threatens to bring nuclear catastrophe back to Ukraine and Europe.—
Benjamin Mack-Jackson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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His favorite example is capturing condensation from air conditioners, typically by placing a bucket under outdoor drainpipes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relegating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relegating. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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