What does reappoint mean?
Reappoint means to appoint someone to a position again, usually after an earlier term or appointment has ended. The word is especially common in government, legal, institutional, and business contexts, where a judge, official, executive, or committee member may be chosen for another period. It differs from re-elect, which usually concerns an office filled by voters, and from appoint, which describes an initial selection. Reappointment can mean retaining the person in the same role or assigning them to a different one, but it always implies that some appointment has already occurred. The term is formal in tone and generally neutral, although it can carry political or institutional implications. It is related to appointment and shares its underlying sense of assigning a person to a defined position. The prefix re- makes the repeated nature of the action explicit.
verbTo appoint someone to a position or office again, especially after a previous appointment has ended. It can also mean to assign someone to the same or another role for another term.
- To appoint someone to a position or office again.
- To assign someone to the same or another role for an additional period.
"The board voted to reappoint the chief executive for a further three years."
"The governor reappointed the judge after her term expired."
"The committee reappointed two members before considering new candidates."
Reappoint keeps someone in a role; re-election keeps them in the voters’ choice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reappoint come from?
Reappoint was formed in English by combining the prefix re-, meaning again, with appoint, meaning to assign someone to a position or office. The word appoint developed through Old French from Latin roots associated with placing or setting a person in a role. Cognate and related English forms include appointment, appointee, and appointer.
Related word forms
How reappoint is actually used
The word is formal and common in government, institutional, legal, and corporate contexts. It does not require that the person be elected, since reappointment may simply restore or extend an appointment.
Easily confused with reappoint
Appoint means to assign someone to a position for the first time, whereas reappoint means to appoint that person again.
Re-elect usually refers to voting someone back into an elected public office, while reappoint can apply to any appointment, including a job or judicial post.