reintegrate
C1formal
Definition
Meaning
To restore something to a unified whole; to bring back into a system, group, or organization after a period of separation.
To make something become part of something larger again; the process of social, psychological, or structural re-inclusion.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a deliberate, structured process of restoration rather than simple return. Carries connotations of healing, correction, or normalization.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. Slightly higher frequency in British socio-political discourse (e.g., 'reintegrate into society').
Connotations
In both varieties, often used in contexts of social policy, psychology, and organizational management.
Frequency
Low-frequency word in general discourse; common in academic, professional, and bureaucratic contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
reintegrate sb/sth into sthreintegrate with sb/sthbe reintegratedVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms. The word itself is often used in fixed phrases like 'reintegrate into the fold'.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The firm's strategy is to reintegrate the overseas division into the main corporate structure.
Academic
The study examines policies designed to reintegrate former combatants into civil society.
Everyday
After his long illness, it took time for him to reintegrate into his normal routine.
Technical
The software update will reintegrate the legacy database modules with the new cloud platform.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The charity helps former prisoners reintegrate into the community.
- The government launched a scheme to reintegrate veterans.
American English
- The program's goal is to reintegrate students who were suspended.
- They're working to reintegrate the updated code into the main branch.
adverb
British English
- The system was reintegrated smoothly.
- He was reintegrating gradually into work life.
American English
- The modules function reintegratedly. (RARE)
- The process moved forward reintegratively. (RARE)
adjective
British English
- The reintegrated units began functioning normally again.
- A successfully reintegrated individual.
American English
- The reintegrated data streams provided a complete picture.
- She is a reintegrated member of the team.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- (Too complex for A2 - concept introduced via 'come back' or 'join again')
- After his trip, he found it hard to reintegrate into his old job.
- The team needs to reintegrate the new player.
- Effective policies are needed to reintegrate migrants into the labour market.
- The company plans to reintegrate its environmental and financial reporting.
- The peace process hinges on the ability to reintegrate former militants into the political framework.
- Post-therapy, the focus shifted to reintegrating the traumatic memories into her coherent life narrative.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
RE + INTEGRATE. Think of 'INTEGRATE' as making something whole. 'RE-' means again. So, you make something whole AGAIN.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIETY IS A BODY / A WHOLE. Reintegration is healing a wound or reattaching a limb to the body.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid calquing with просто 'интегрировать снова'. Use specific verbs like 'возвращать в общество', 'восстанавливать в правах', 'вновь вводить в состав' depending on context.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'reintegrate' without the preposition 'into' (e.g., 'reintegrate society' instead of 'reintegrate INTO society').
- Confusing with 'rehabilitate' (which focuses more on recovery of skills/status) or 'reconcile' (which focuses on relationships).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'reintegrate' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Integrate' means to combine or become part of a whole for the first time. 'Reintegrate' specifically means to bring back into a whole after a period of separation or exclusion.
It can be used for both. For people, it's often social or psychological (reintegrate into society). For objects or systems, it's functional (reintegrate a component into a machine, reintegrate data into a report).
Yes, it is considered formal or neutral-formal. In everyday conversation, people might use phrases like 'fit back in', 'go back to', or 'become part of again'.
The noun form is 'reintegration' (e.g., 'the reintegration process').