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Glite Dictionary
🔁 To argue again ⚖️ To retry in court
to relitigate

to relitigate

1 8.0
To take a legal case to court again after it was decided
  • verb
  • /ˌriːˈlɪtɪˌɡeɪt/
  • Formal
translation icon : relitigar
  • He expressed frustration at the idea of having to relitigate issues that had already been resolved.
  • relitigate the case

Examples

  • After reviewing the evidence, the attorney advised against trying to relitigate the matter.

  • After losing the case, the company tried to relitigate the matter in a different court.

  • The judge warned the lawyers not to relitigate issues that had already been decided.

  • Both parties agreed it was pointless to relitigate the same dispute again.

  • The court decided not to relitigate the case.

  • She will relitigate the matter next month.

  • The judge ruled that we cannot relitigate the case since it was already decided in court.

Synonyms

to retry
vsto relitigate
  • Specialized
18 5.4

Hear a case again in court after the first trial ends without a decision

is used to take the matter to court again after it was already decided
to rehear
vsto relitigate
  • Formal
1 7.2

To hear a case again in court, especially after an appeal or new evidence

is used to start a new court action after a final decision
to reargue
vsto relitigate
  • Jargon
1 6.6

To present a case again in court after new facts appear

brings the whole issue back to court after a judgment

Antonyms

to finalize
  • US
74 3.8

Complete the last details to make something ready

How Serious

to relitigate
  • Formal
1 8.0
to retry
  • Specialized
18 5.4
appeal
  • Formal
365 6.1
to rehear
  • Formal
1 7.2
to reopen
182 1.4
to challenge
  • Formal
552 4.3
to question
777 3.5

Surface Forms

relitigate infinitive
relitigated past
relitigated past participle
relitigating present participle
relitigates third person singular

Morphology

relitigate = litigate (transparent) = re + litigate

This is straightforward prefixation: 're-' plus 'litigate' gives the meaning 'to litigate again'.

Etymology

Relitigate comes from re- 'again' plus litigate 'to take to court', a root also in litigation. So to relitigate a legal case is to bring the same dispute back to court and try it 'again'.