Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Reversal |
ReversalNoun1. A change from one state to the opposite state; "there was a reversal of autonomic function". 2. An unfortunate happening that hinders of impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating. 3. Turning in an opposite direction or position; "the reversal of the image in the lens". 4. A decision to reverse an earlier decision. 5. A judgment by a higher court that the judgment of a lower court was incorrect and should be set aside. 6. Turning in the opposite direction. 7. Act of reversing the order or place of. 8. A reversal in attitude or principle or point of view: "an about-face on foreign policy". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "reversal" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Business | A debit to a depositor's account that offsets a previous credit that was not collected. . . WEBIN 66 1-. . Source: European Union. (references) |
Computing | Message informing the sender of the original message that the message cannot be processed as instructed i. e. is undeliverable, unprocessable or cancelled by the receiver. Source: European Union. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | A change in normal polarity of the cell or battery. Source: European Union. (references) |
Finance | Arbitrage established by selling the underlying asset short, writing a put and buying a call, both options having the same terms. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mechanical Engineering | The action of changing the direction of movement of a machine or machine part. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A local change of approx. 180 degrees in the direction of the regionaldip. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: ReversalSynonyms: about-face (n), blow (n), change of mind (n), flip-flop (n), policy change (n), reverse (n), reversion (n), setback (n), transposition (n), turn around (n), turnabout (n), turnaround (n), volte-face (n). (additional references) |
| Antonym: affirmation (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Change | Conversion; (gradual change); revolution; (sudden or radical change) inversion; (reversal); displacement; transference. |
Inversion | Noun: inversion, eversion, subversion, reversion, retroversion, introversion; contraposition; contrariety; reversal; turn of the tide. |
Regression | Reversal, relapse, turning point;(reversion). |
Tergiversation | Tergiversation, recantation; palinode, palinody; renunciation; abjuration,abjurement; defection; (relinquishment); going over; Verb: apostasy; retraction, retractation; withdrawal; disavowal; (negation); revocation, revokement; reversal; repentance; -redintegratio amoris. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Reversal |
| English words defined with "reversal": about-face, anastrophe, appeal ♦ Bill of review ♦ change by reversal ♦ hypallage, hyperbaton, hysteron proteron ♦ inversion ♦ policy change ♦ Reexchange, Reversing ♦ turn around, turn the tables, turn the tide ♦ u-turn ♦ volte-face. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "reversal": common ion effect, commutating winding, crossed belt ♦ image reversal ♦ magnetic polarity reversal, magnetic reversals ♦ replacement amounts, Retrograde motion, reversal arbitrage, Reversal Learning, reversal of ventilation ♦ Sterilization Reversal ♦ U-Pump ♦ Wilputte oven. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Raymond: Total protonic reversal. (Ghostbusters; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.) Total protonic reversal. (Ghost Busters; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis) Your miserable life is not worth the reversal of a Custer decision. (Little Big Man; writing credit: Thomas Berger; Calder Willingham) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Reversal (2001) The Reversal of Richard Sun (1966) Dress Reversal (1965) Reversal (1994) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Arc with reflection higher in the sky - note reversal of spectrum.Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Rainbow with reflection - note reversal of spectrum.Credit: National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). |
 | [The reversal of an image when projected through an opening].Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | Craig, Kansas. Track crossover. For twelve and one half miles west of Argentine, the track reversal system is used.Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Destroying the subthalamic nucleus results in a reversal of parkinsonian symptoms in the animal models. (references) | |
It also is of value in treatment of multiple deficiencies as in reversal of warfarin effects or in liver disease. (references) | ||
Evidence suggests that there are nonsurgical options for prevention and arrest and reversal of early noncavitated lesions. (references) | ||
Business | Over the past decade, Taiwan has accomplished a complete role reversal on copyrights. (references) | |
This, together with good rains in the summer cropping areas could lead to more stable crop prices and a reversal in the current downward trend in tractor sales. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Rwanda | Discussions between church leaders, government officials, and foreign diplomats resulted in a reversal of the Government's policy. (references) |
Argentina | The protests in solidarity with the public teachers' union's strike contributed to the resignation of Lopez Murphy and the reversal of the proposed education cuts. (references) | |
Egypt | During the year, the semiweekly newspaper al-Shaab obtained an administrative court ruling calling for a reversal of the Government's May 2000 suspension of the paper's license, but the Shura Council's Press Committee appealed. (references) | |
Economic History | Austria | Government plans for antitrust reform include a reorganization of the cartel court and provisions for retroactive reversal of mergers. (references) |
Guatemala | The threat of a possible reversal of earlier privatizations weakened investor confidence, though the GOG appears to have retreated from this policy. (references) | |
China | The economy slowed for the next 3 years, with official growth of 8.9% in 1997, 7.8% in 1998 and 7.1% for 1999. The year 2000 showed a modest reversal of this trend. (references) | |
Human Rights | Russia | Public health measures, funded by international aid and the doubling of government resources for the prison system's medical budget, have effected a limited reversal of the spread of tuberculosis but have not contained the spread of HIV. (references) |
Political Economy | COLOMBIA | Thus, the Colombian law provides 20-year protection for patents and reversal of burden of proof in cases of alleged patent infringement. (references) |
Brazil | Whatever the outcome, although it will have a definite impact on the business environment, there is not likely to be any fundamental reversal of the privatization policies and fiscal reform. (references) | |
Political Rights | Morocco | The Election Commission examined numerous petitions during the course of the electoral season in 1997 and recommended the reversal of over 60 municipal election results, including in Tangier, Khoribga, and Oujda, noted irregularities in four parliamentary races in Casablanca, Chefchaouen, and Fez, and called for the results to be set aside, which they were. (references) |
Travel | Australia | The reversal of the seasons (and hence of daylight saving time in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres) complicates the time zone calculation. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Jan Ronis | It's fair game. And if the judge didn't let this in, I could assure you, in the event there would be a conviction, it would be a reversal. It would have been a reversal. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Reversal" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.81% of the time. "Reversal" is used about 515 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.81% | 514 | 11,807 |
| Noun (common) | 0.19% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 515 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "reversal": change by reversal ♦ field reversal ♦ geomagnetic reversal ♦ image reversal ♦ reversal arbitrage ♦ Reversal Learning ♦ reversal of opinion ♦ role reversal ♦ Sterilization Reversal. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "reversal": role-reversal. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "reversal"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | pezullim (abeyance, arrest, cancel, cancellation, hold, layoff, stay, suspense, suspension), ndryshim (alteration, amendment, change, difference, disparity, dissimilarity, dissimilation, dissimilitude, distinction, inflection, inflexion, innovation, manipulation, metamorphosis, modification, mutation, permutation, recast, reverse, shift, shifting, switch, transit, transition, turn, variation), ndërrim vendesh (transposal, transposition), këmbim (change, commutation, exchange), anulim (abolishment, annulment, avoidance, cancel, cancellation, cassation, Defeasance, defeat, invalidation, nullification, recall, repeal, rescission, revocation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | قلب (alter, bring down, capricious, capsize, center, centre, change, convert, core, essence, flip, heart, inversion, invert, inverting, leaf, middle, overthrow, overturn, reverse, tip, topple, transform, transformation, turn, turn about, turn around, turn inside down, turn over, turn up, upset, upturn, whimsical), تقلبات (swing, vicissitudes), تغير الإتجاه, القلب (breast, cambium, heart, pump), إنقلاب (coup, coup d'etat, inverse, inversion, revolution, topsy-turvydom, upheaval, vicissitude), إنعكاس (reflection, reflex, reflexion, repercussion, reverberation), إبطال (abolition, abrogation, annihilation, annulment, avoidance, cancellation, circumvention, counteraction, defeasance, frustration, invalidation, negation, nullification, repeal, rescission, revocation, vitiation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | смяна на полярността, реверсиране (reverse), разместване (dislocation, shift, shuffle, translocation), връщане (re entry, recall, refund, restoration, retrieval, return), влошаване (aggravation, decay, decline, depravation, deterioration, exasperation, vitiation), отменяне (abatement, annulment, cancellation, recall, recision, repeal, rescission, retractation, revocation, undoing, withdrawal), обръщане (conversion, facing, inversion, turn, turnabout, turning, veer), обратно движение, обратен ход (inversion), промяна (alteration, change, chop, countermarch, innovation, mutation, permutation, sea change, shift, transition, transmutation, turn, turnover, variance, variation), преобръщане (inversion, roll over, upset, upturn). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 逆转. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | zrušení rozsudku, výmìna (change, exchange, renewal, replacement, shift, swap, switch, truck), obrat k horšímu, obrácení, nezdar (failure, knock, miscarriage, set back, setback), dramatický zvrat. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | vending (turn), veksling (change-over), omvendt conversion (reversal arbitrage, reverse conversion), omstyring (alternate route, alternation, alternative route, alternative routing, change-over, re-routing, reverse, reversing, shifting), omslagsfaktor (reversal criterion, reversal factor), omslag (envelope, fomentation, portfolio, poulticing, reversal criterion, reversal factor), ompolarisering, dom on annullation (annulment, rescissory judgment), afvisningsmeddelelse. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | reverse conversion (reversal arbitrage, reverse conversion), reversal (reversal criterion, reversal factor), wisseling (about-face, alteration, change, conversion, transformation), wisselen (change, exchange, interchange, swap, turn), vonnis van vernietiging (annulment, rescissory judgment), terugboeking (clawback, claw-back, reversing), ompolen, ommekeer (break in trend, turn), omkering van draairichting (reverse, reversing), omkering (inversion, transposition), omkeer (about-face, alteration, change, conversion, transformation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | نقض , واژگونی (Overturn, Upset), واژگون سازی , برگشت (Back, Backstroke, Lapse, Refluence, Regress, Regression, Relapse, Repercussion, Retrogress, Return, Revert, Veer). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | vaihto (change, changing, exchange, interchange, replacement), trendin muutoskerroin (reversal criterion, reversal factor), suunnanvaihto (reverse, reversing), napaisuuden kääntyminen, mitätöintipäätös (annulment, rescissory judgment), käänteinen arbitraasi (reversal arbitrage, reverse conversion), kääntö (change-over, inversion, turn-over), käänne (bend, change, crisis, curve, lapel, turn, turning-point, turn-up cuff). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | renversement (reversing, vertical reversement), arrêt d'annulation (rescissory judgment). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Umschwung (about turn, circle, drastic change, reaction, revulsion), Umkehrung (inversion, reversion). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | αντιστροφή (antistrophe, inversion). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | הפיכה (change, conversion, coup d'etat, revolt, revolution), הפכה (conversion, inversion, turnover, upset). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | megfordítás (inversion, turn, turning, turning back), visszafordulás (turning back), visszafordítás (shunt, turning back). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | pembalikan (inversion, sudden). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | inversione (inversion). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 逆転 (change, coming from behind, turn-around), 逆戻り (relapse, retrogression). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | ぎゃくもどり (relapse, retrogression), ぎゃくてん (change, coming from behind, turn-around). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 역분개. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | goll er ash (ascend, ascend genealogy, draw back, go back, regress, regression, retrospective, return, reversion, revert). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | eversalray inversão (inversion, mete). (various references) inversare (conversion, inversion), anulare (annulment, avoidance, call off, cancellation, defeasance, defeat, effacement, nullification, remitment, remittal, repeal, rescission, revocation). (various references) реверсирование (reverse, turnaround), полное изменение, перестановка (interchanging, permutation, rearrangement, reshuffle, reversion, shift, transposal, transposition), изменение (alteration, amendment, change, change over, movement, mutation, permutation, variance, variation). (various references) ukidanje (nullification, recession, repeal, rescission, suppression, suspension, undoing), preokret (shift, switch, turn over, turnover, upheaval, vicissitude, volte-face). (various references) inversión (input, inversion, investment, outlay). (various references) omkastning (change, inversion, transposition, turnover). (various references) yürürlükten kaldırma (abatement, abolition, abrogation, desuetude, repeal, rescission, revocation), tersini yapma, tersine çevirme, ters giriş, kararı bozma, iptal (abatement, abolition, abrogation, annihilation, annulment, avoidance, cancel, cancellation, cancelling, cassation, defeasance, defeat, dissolution, invalidation, nullification, nullity, recall, repeal, rescission, revocation, termination, void, withdrawal), geri dönme (return, turning back), ani değişiklik (revulsion). (various references) реверсування, відміна (abolishment, abolition, abrogation, annihilation, annulment, avoidance, defeasance, effacement, rescission, revocation, washout, withdrawal), повна зміна. (various references) sự đảo lộn (overturn, perturbation, topsyturvy). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | commutatio, commutatione, commutationem, commutationes, commutationibus, commutationum. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "reversal": reversals. (additional references) | |
| |
"Reversal" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: demersal, Heversham, rehersal, reversi. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "reversal" (pronounced river"sul or rēver"sul) |
| 6 | -i v er" s u l | universal. |
| 4 | -er" s u l | dispersal, rehearsal, Tercel. |
| 3 | -s u l | antimissile, apostle, Axel, axle, basal, brasil, bristle, bustle, cancel, capsule, Castle, colossal, consul, council, counsel, diesel, dismissal, docile, dorsal, epistle, facile, fissile, fossil, gracile, gristle, Hansel, Hassel, hassle, housel, hustle, imbecile, jostle, microfossil, missal, missel, missile, morsel, mucosal, muscle, mussel, Nestle, parcel, Passel, pencil, pixel, Proconsul, rustle, stencil, tassel, Tattersall, tensile, Thistle, tinsel, tonsil, Tressel, trestle, tussle, unsell, utensil, vassal, vessel, whistle, wrestle. |
| 5 | -v er" s u l | universal. |
| 4 | -er" s u l | dispersal, rehearsal, Tercel. |
| 3 | -s u l | antimissile, apostle, Axel, axle, basal, brasil, bristle, bustle, cancel, capsule, Castle, colossal, consul, council, counsel, diesel, dismissal, docile, dorsal, epistle, facile, fissile, fossil, gracile, gristle, Hansel, Hassel, hassle, housel, hustle, imbecile, jostle, microfossil, missal, missel, missile, morsel, mucosal, muscle, mussel, Nestle, parcel, Passel, pencil, pixel, Proconsul, rustle, stencil, tassel, Tattersall, tensile, Thistle, tinsel, tonsil, Tressel, trestle, tussle, unsell, utensil, vassal, vessel, whistle, wrestle. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: ravelers, slaverer. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-e-l-r-r-s-v" | |
-1 letter: laveers, leavers, raveler, reavers, reveals, several, vealers. | |
-2 letters: averse, elvers, eraser, larees, laveer, lavers, leaser, leaver, leaves, levers, ravels, ravers, realer, reales, reaver, reaves, resale, reseal, reveal, revels, revers, salver, sealer, searer, serval, server, slaver, sleave, vealer, velars, versal, verser. | |
-3 letters: arles, avers, earls, easel, eaves, elver, elves, erase, laree, lares, laser, laver. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-e-l-r-r-s-v" | |
+1 letter: ravellers, revealers, reversals, slaverers, travelers. | |
+2 letters: overclears, overlearns, reprievals, reservable, retrievals, revelators, silverware, travellers, varletries. | |
+3 letters: preservable, revalorizes, reversional, silverwares, traversable, verbalizers, vulneraries. | |
+4 letters: correlatives, irrelevances, irresolvable, transversely. | |
+5 letters: boulevardiers, daredevilries, irrelevancies, overregulates, overreliances. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)52 65 76 65 72 73 61 6C |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references).-. . ...- . .-. ... .- .-.. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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| Amazon.com BOOKS: Search for: "reversal" |
