relegation
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
when a sports team is moved down to a lower league because they performed poorly.
the transfer of a sports team to a lower division as a result of poor performance during a season.
Simple“The team faced relegation to the second division after losing their final match of the season.”
In context“The club's sudden relegation led to a significant loss in television revenue and the departure of several star players.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'to'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
the act of moving someone or something to a less important or lower position.
the assignment of a person, task, or idea to an inferior rank or less prominent status.
Simple“His relegation to a desk job felt like a punishment for his mistakes.”
In context“The author complained about the relegation of her most important arguments to the footnotes of the book.”
UsageCommonly used in abstract contexts regarding status or priority.
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage relegation battle
“And we have to improve next week.” It cannot be easy being in the Leicester ranks, with their best players being quickly sold after relegation to bring in funds and questions remaining over others.”
“The good news is that Tony Mowbray is back at Ewood Park with the aim of avoiding another Blackburn relegation battle.”
Borrowed from Latin relēgātiō, relēgātiōnis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.