Word
redux
Phoneticsre·dux
US/ˈɹiˌdəks/
UK/ɹɪdˈʌks/
Definitions
01brought back or redone
adj. used after a noun to describe a new version of something from the past.
adj. denotes a topic or work that has been redone, restored, or revisited; functions as a postpositive adjective.
“The director released a 'director's cut redux' with twenty minutes of new footage.”
“The exhibition felt like the 1960s redux, capturing the aesthetic of that decade with a modern, critical lens.”
Literary · Formal
Usage
This adjective almost always follows the noun it describes (e.g., 'Rabbit Redux').
Teaching tip
Learners often see this in film titles or book reviews to signal a remake or a return to an old theme.
02a revisited theme
n. a theme or idea that is brought back or repeated.
n. a theme, topic, or instance of something being redone or revisited.
“The new policy is just a redux of the failed ideas from last year.”
“Critics argued that the sequel was a mere redux of the original plot, offering little in the way of innovation.”
Formal
Usage
Used as a countable noun, though less common than the adjective form.
Teaching tip
This noun use is quite sophisticated; advise students to use 'remake' or 'repetition' in most general contexts.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin redux (“that returns”), from redūcō (“to bring back”). The word may have re-entered popular usage in the United States with the publication of the novel Rabbit Redux (1971) by John Updike, although it had previously been used in medicine, literary titles, and product names.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/redux