reclassification

noun

re·​clas·​si·​fi·​ca·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌkla-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce reclassification (audio)
plural reclassifications
: the act or process of classifying something again or anew
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said chub populations appear steady enough for a legal reclassification from endangered to threatened.—Bruce Finley

Examples of reclassification in a Sentence

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The reclassification was almost halted by Nigeria's new T+1 settlement cycle, but the SEC clarified foreign investors are not required to pre-fund accounts. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Pluto continues to surprise scientists NASA's New Horizons spacecraft launched in January 2006, months before Pluto's reclassification, and became the first mission to fly past the distant world in 2015. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 The reclassification of Pluto ensures that the general public can't really ignore the fact that there are many solar system bodies with sizes between planets and asteroids that are no less important than the planets themselves. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Despite Pluto’s reclassification, the mission has gone forward, and New Horizons is still out there, capturing images of Pluto and other objects in the Kuiper Belt. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reclassification

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reclassification was in 1849

Rhymes for reclassification

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Browse Nearby Words

réclame
reclassification
reclassify
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Cite this Entry

“Reclassification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reclassification. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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