Meaning & use
reconsideration
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Meanings
noununcountable
The act of thinking again about a decision or opinion, especially because you might change it.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: the plan needs reconsideration; sometimes with an or an: a reconsideration of the policy.
Patterns
- reconsideration of something
- give something reconsideration
The offer is worth serious reconsideration before you turn it down.
After the protests, the council called for a reconsideration of the parking plan.
On reconsideration, she decided that moving abroad was too risky.
nouncountable or uncountablelegalbusiness
A formal request or procedure asking an authority to review a ruling it has already made.
Grammar: Often appears as a request: file a request for reconsideration.
Patterns
- request for reconsideration
- motion for reconsideration
The applicant filed a request for reconsideration after his claim was denied.
The board granted reconsideration of the permit.
Her lawyer submitted a motion for reconsideration to the court.
Common combinations
- request for reconsideration
- The student sent a request for reconsideration of her grade.
- on reconsideration
- On reconsideration, I think we were too harsh.
- deserve reconsideration
- The proposal deserves reconsideration in light of the new data.
- call for reconsideration
- Parents called for reconsideration of the school closure.
- motion for reconsideration
- The motion for reconsideration was denied on Monday.
Synonyms and how they differ
- review
- Review means to examine something again but does not always suggest a possible reversal, while reconsideration focuses on the chance of changing the decision.
- rethink
- Rethink is more informal and often refers to your own plans, whereas reconsideration also covers official procedures.
- second thoughts
- Second thoughts describes personal doubt and is informal, while reconsideration sounds deliberate and official.
- reappraisal
- Reappraisal stresses a fresh assessment of value or merit, while reconsideration stresses reopening a decision.
Opposites
Word family
- reconsider verb
- to think about a decision again and possibly change it
- consider verb
- to think carefully about something
- consideration noun
- careful thought, or a factor to be thought about
- considerate adjective
- thoughtful about other people's feelings
Commonly confused: reconsideration or reconsider?
reconsideration vs reconsider
Reconsider is the verb, as in please reconsider, while reconsideration is the noun naming the act or request.
Practice
Which phrase correctly completes the sentence: The school board refused our request ___ the decision.
Choose one answer.
The standard pattern is request for reconsideration of something. The other prepositions create patterns that native speakers do not use with this noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reconsideration”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.