Meaning & use
rewritten
Last updated
“rewritten” is a form of “rewrite”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past participle of rewrite: written again in a changed form to improve or correct it.
Grammar: Takes an object: she has rewritten the essay.
Patterns
- have rewritten something
- be rewritten
- rewritten for someone
The report has been rewritten twice since last week.
She has rewritten the opening paragraph to make it clearer.
The story was rewritten so that younger children could follow it.
verbtransitivefigurative
Changed so that it takes a different form or meaning, especially in the sense of changing records, rules or history.
Grammar: Often passive: the rules were rewritten.
Patterns
- rewritten history
- rewritten rules
The rules of the game have been rewritten to make it fairer.
History was rewritten after the new documents were found.
The company's code was rewritten from scratch.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having been written again in a new version.
Grammar: Used before a noun: the rewritten script.
Patterns
- a rewritten version of something
The rewritten script was much shorter.
The rewritten law took effect in January.
Critics preferred the rewritten ending.
Word forms
| base form | rewrite |
|---|---|
| past tense | rewrote |
| -ing form | rewriting |
Common combinations
- completely rewritten
- The manual was completely rewritten.
- rewritten version
- The rewritten version is easier to read.
- rewritten from scratch
- The program was rewritten from scratch.
- been rewritten
- The scene has been rewritten many times.
- rewritten history
- Some people say that history is being rewritten.
Synonyms and how they differ
- revised
- Revised suggests careful changes to an existing text, while rewritten suggests a more thorough redo.
- edited
- Edited usually means smaller corrections, whereas rewritten means the text was largely rebuilt.
- redrafted
- Redrafted is common for formal documents and implies a new draft rather than a polish.
- reworked
- Reworked can apply to anything, not only text.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rewritten or rewrote?
rewritten vs rewrote
Rewrote is the simple past (she rewrote it), while rewritten is the past participle used with have or be.
Practice
The article has been ___ twice after the editor's comments.
Choose one answer.
After has been, use the past participle rewritten. Rewrote is only the simple past.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rewritten”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.