What does reverting mean?
Reverting means returning to a previous state, condition, position, belief, or version. The word is especially common in technical and administrative contexts: a system may revert to an earlier configuration, an organization may revert to a previous policy, or a person may revert to an earlier decision or habit. Its basic contrast is with advancing or progressing, although it can also imply that a change was abandoned or undone. In computing, reverting often means restoring the last known working version or resetting a setting. In biology and genetics, the term can describe the reappearance of an ancestral form. Because “reverting” is the present participle of the verb “revert,” it can accompany another verb, as in “reverting to the original plan,” or function as a gerund in a sentence such as “She reverted after reconsidering the offer.”
verb (present participle and gerund of revert)To return to a previous state, practice, belief, style, or version. In computing, it can mean to restore an earlier state or undo a change.
- To return to a former state, condition, position, practice, or belief.
- To restore or switch back to an earlier version of a document, program, or configuration.
- To return genetically to an ancestral form or earlier generational trait.
"After several unsuccessful attempts to update the software, the technicians reverted to the previous version."
"The department reverted to its original policy after the trial period ended."
"The website briefly failed, so the administrator reverted to the previous version of the page."
Reverting is the linguistic opposite of progressing: it takes you back to where you were before.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reverting come from?
The verb comes from Latin revertere, formed from re- meaning “back” and vertere, meaning “to turn.” It originally referred to turning back, returning, or reversing a course. English borrowed the word in the late 16th century, and its modern meaning developed from the idea of returning to an earlier condition or decision. Related words such as reverse, reversal, and version ultimately share the Latin root vertere.
Related word forms
How reverting is actually used
The word is formal in general use and common in technical writing. In computing, it usually describes restoring an earlier version or returning a setting to its default state. In genetics, it can describe a reappearance of an ancestral characteristic.
Easily confused with reverting
Reverting means returning to an earlier state or position, whereas reversing can mean changing direction, undoing something, or exchanging the order of two things.
Reverting specifically means going back to a previous state or position, while regress more broadly suggests deterioration, decline, or backward movement.