What does relabel mean?
Relabel means to put a new label on something, or to describe or classify it differently. The word is commonly used when a product's packaging, an ingredient's name, a record's category, or an object's identification has been corrected or updated. For example, a manufacturer may relabel a container after changing its ingredients, while a museum may relabel a sculpture after learning more about its date or origin. Although relabel can sometimes mean simply naming something anew, it often carries the implication that a previous label was inaccurate, incomplete, or no longer current. The prefix re- indicates that the labelling is being done again or that the existing label is being replaced. Relabel is generally used in factual, institutional, commercial, and scientific contexts, but it is also common in everyday discussion whenever an outdated or misleading name needs changing.
verbTo give something a new label or to label it again, especially after correcting, updating, or changing its description or category.
- To change the label, name, or description of something.
- To apply a label to something again, especially after it has been removed or lost.
- To place an item in a different category or classify it differently.
"The manufacturer relabelled the product to clarify its ingredients."
"The shop relabelled the shelf after correcting its price list."
"Researchers may relabel a compound when new evidence changes its classification."
"The bottle was relabelled with the manufacturer's new address."
Sometimes the problem is not the thing, but the label stuck to it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does relabel come from?
Relabel is an English formation made from the prefix re-, meaning again, and the verb label. Label itself is recorded in Middle English and comes through Old French; the modern verb relabel was formed by combining these elements with the usual English pattern of prefixing re- to an existing verb. The formation is comparable in structure to words such as rename and rewrite, although relabel more specifically suggests changing or replacing an existing designation.
Related word forms
How relabel is actually used
Relabel is neutral in register and is especially common in contexts involving products, ingredients, categories, records, and museum or scientific collections. It often implies correcting or updating an existing description rather than simply choosing a name for something new.
Easily confused with relabel
A label is the name or description attached to something, whereas relabel is the act of attaching a different or corrected label.