repurposing
Finding new uses
Repurposing is finding a new use for something beyond its original purpose.
Old factories get repurposed as loft apartments.
A mason jar becomes a vase.
The word often carries connotations of resourcefulness or sustainability: She's repurposing vintage fabric into handbags.
In pharmaceutical contexts, drug repurposing means finding new medical applications for existing medications.
Not harming the environment
- greenColor of vegetation
- zero-wasteNo garbage produced
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- renewableCapable of restoration
upcycling · recycling · reclaiming · salvaging · sustainable · environmental · reuse · secondhand
Redirect to new duties
- redeployStation elsewhere again
- reassignAllocate to new duties
- reallocateAssign to different uses
- redirectSend in new direction
reuse · convert · multipurpose · second-life · reimagine · practical · utilitarian · versatile
Act of changing states
- modificationAct of altering something
- alterationAct of modifying
- reconfigurationChanging arrangement of parts
- reworkingModifying something already made
remodeling · refitting · reshaping · customization · tailoring · adjustment · retrofit · makeover
Amateur home projects
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
ingenuity · resourcefulness · inventiveness · maker · upcycle · hacking · tinkering · improvisation
Take back possession
- restoreReturn to earlier state
- refurbishRestore worn items
- renovateRestore to good condition
- rescueSave from harm
recovery · rehabilitation · renewal · remake · remanufacture · vintage · secondhand · thrift
eco-friendly
Not harming the environment
- greenColor of vegetation
- zero-wasteNo garbage produced
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
renewable · upcycling · recycling · reclaiming · salvaging · sustainable · environmental · reuse · secondhand · thrifting
retask
Redirect to new duties
- redeployStation elsewhere again
- reassignAllocate to new duties
- reallocateAssign to different uses
redirect · reuse · convert · multipurpose · second-life · reimagine · practical · utilitarian · versatile
conversion
Act of changing states
- modificationAct of altering something
- alterationAct of modifying
- reconfigurationChanging arrangement of parts
reworking · remodeling · refitting · reshaping · customization · tailoring · adjustment · retrofit · makeover · overhaul
DIY
Amateur home projects
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
imagination · ingenuity · resourcefulness · inventiveness · maker · upcycle · hacking · tinkering · improvisation · bricolage
reclaim
Take back possession
rescue · recovery · rehabilitation · renewal · remake · remanufacture · vintage · secondhand · thrift · antique
- makingcrafting, making, building, creating, DIY projects
- renewalrenewal, reinvigoration, restart, reboot, fresh start
- renovationsrenovation, remodel, refurbishment, addition, extension
- Resourcefulnessresourcefulness, ingenuity, cleverness, inventiveness, problem-solving
- sustainable livingrecycling, composting, solar power, wind power, renewable
- DIY culturemaker movement, crafting, home repair, woodworking, sewing
repurposingdiscarding
Removing what's unwanted
throwing away · disposing · trashing · junking · scrapping
repurposingwastefulness
Careless use of resources
disposability · planned obsolescence · throwaway culture · conspicuous consumption · replacing
purpose, propose, proposal, purposeful, purposely, proposing, proposition, purposes, purposeless