renew

renew, restore, refresh, renovate, refurbish, rejuvenate are comparable when they mean to give a person or thing that has become old, worn, or exhausted the qualities or appearance of what is fresh or new or young.

Renew is so inclusive a term that it may imply a making something new to replace the old that has died, decayed, or disintegrated

{

each spring the trees renew their foliage

}

{

I think I will be extravagant enough to renew my entire wardrobe— Shaw

}

or a remaking so that it seems like new of a thing which has depleted its vitality or force or has lost its freshness

{

they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength— Isa 40:31

}

{

to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the world from suicide—7.5. Eliot

}

or a making a fresh start

{

renewed his efforts

}

{

renewed his offer of assistance

}

Restore (see also RESTORE 2) definitely implies a return to an original state or to a prime condition typically after depletion, exhaustion, or illness

{

restored his vigor

}

{

restored his good humor

}

{

a long rest restored him to health

}

or after being marred, injured, or wrecked (as by passage of time, use, accident, or assault in war)

{

Rheims Cathedral was restored after World War I

}

{

an attempt to restore a picture

}

or after the loss of a vital or essential quality or character

{

if I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, should I repent me— Shak.

}

Refresh often implies the supplying of something necessary to restore lost strength, animation, or power

{

sleep refreshes both body and mind

}

{

a cool, refreshing drink

}

or to make up for what has been lost through forgetfulness or disuse

{

he made it his business to see Dr. Lavendar, and be refreshed as to facts— De land

}

Equally often the term implies the imparting of freshness to something by or as if by cooling, wetting, or allaying thirst; it then usually connotes an enlivening, invigorating, or exhilarating effect

{

the springs . . . under the earth . . . break forth to refresh and gladden the life of flowers and the life of man— Binyon

}

{

it refreshes me to find a woman so charmingly direct— Bromfield

}

Renovate and refurbish differ from the preceding terms chiefly in being referred almost exclusively to material things and as a consequence in not having the poetic connotations so often found in renew, restore, and refresh.

Renovate is often used in place of renew when cleansing, repairing, or rebuilding is implied

{

renovate an old colonial house

}

{

drawn into a sequence of violent episodes that cause him to renovate his attitudes toward life and death— Martin Levin

}

while refurbish implies the restoration of newness or freshness by or as if by scouring or polishing and suggests here little more than a freshening up of the appearance or the external aspects of a thing

{

refurbish an old table by sandpapering and waxing it

}

and therefore occasionally is used in depreciation

{

hoped to reform national conduct ... by reforming our vocabulary .... But it does seem a good bit to achieve with nothing more tangible than a refurbished vocabulary— Laird

}

{

the refurbishing of trite thoughts is the sole accomplishment of many would- be poets

}

Rejuvenate implies a restoration of youthful vigor, powers, appearance, or activities; sometimes it merely suggests a giving a youthful aspect to something old

{

he . . . had the air of an old bachelor trying to rejuvenate himself— Irving

}

{

outworn themes may be rejuvenated by taking on contemporary garb— Lowes

}

Analogous words: *mend, repair, rebuild: reform, revise, rectify, *correct

Contrasted words: exhaust, *deplete, drain, impoverish, bankrupt