Quick answer: Delegate means to hand a task, authority or responsibility to someone else. Relegate means to push something or someone down to a lower, less important position, often with a hint of getting rid of it. Delegating shares the work; relegating demotes it.
Quick Quiz: Relegate vs Delegate
The relegate vs delegate mix-up is common because the words look alike and both involve handing something over. But they point in opposite directions: one passes work along on purpose, and the other pushes something down or out of the way. Here is how to keep them straight.
| Term | Meaning | Part of speech | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delegate (verb) | To hand a task, power or responsibility to someone else | Verb | A good manager knows when to delegate. |
| Delegate (noun) | A person chosen to act or vote for others | Noun | She was elected a delegate to the convention. |
| Relegate | To push to a lower or less important position | Verb | The old files were relegated to the basement. |
What does delegate mean?
To delegate means to entrust a task, authority or responsibility to another person. Merriam-Webster’s examples include “a manager should delegate authority to the best employees” and “he doesn’t delegate very well.”
The word also means to appoint someone as your representative. A good delegator picks the right person, explains the goal and then steps back. It is generally a positive, practical word tied to teamwork and trust.
What does relegate mean?
To relegate means to assign something or someone to a lower, less important position. Merriam-Webster notes that it implies consigning something to a particular class or sphere, often with a suggestion of getting rid of it.
Originally, relegate meant “to send into exile; banish.” That older sense still colors the word today: when you relegate an old sofa to the basement, you are sending it somewhere out of the way. In sports, it also means to move a team down to a lower division.
Relegate vs delegate: what is the real difference?
The real difference is intent and direction. You delegate to share responsibility with someone you trust, but you relegate to push something down in rank or out of sight.
Compare two sentences. “She delegated the report to her assistant” means she handed it off to get it done. “She relegated the report to the bottom of her pile” means she ranked it as unimportant. One sentence is about teamwork, and the other is about demotion.
Is delegate a noun or a verb?
Delegate is both. As a noun, it means a person chosen to act or vote for others, and as a verb, it means to hand off tasks or authority.
The pronunciation shifts slightly. The noun usually ends in a soft “git” sound, while the verb ends in a full “gate” sound. Relegate, by contrast, is only a verb, so “a relegate” is never correct.
Can relegate mean delegate?
Rarely. Merriam-Webster does list a sense of relegate meaning “to submit to someone or something for appropriate action,” and it even gives delegate as a synonym for that sense.
In practice, though, readers will hear relegate as “demote” or “push aside.” If you simply mean handing off a task, delegate is clearer and safer.
Where do relegate and delegate come from?
Both words come from the Latin verb legare, meaning “to send with a commission.” Delegate adds de-, and relegate adds re-.
Delegate entered English in the 14th century as a noun for a representative, with the verb following in the early 1500s. Relegate appeared in 1599 with the sense of banishing someone. The meaning of placing someone in an inferior position is recorded from the late 1700s.
How can you remember which one to use?
Ask whether you are trusting someone or demoting something. The memory tricks below make that quick.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Good managers relegate tasks to their teams.
✓ Good managers delegate tasks to their teams. - ✗ The striker was delegated to the bench.
✓ The striker was relegated to the bench. - ✗ Our club was delegated to the second division.
✓ Our club was relegated to the second division. - ✗ She is a relegate to the conference.
✓ She is a delegate to the conference. - ✗ Delegating means demoting someone.
✓ Delegating means handing off work; relegating is what demotes.
Memory tricks
- Deputy = delegate. Both start with “de-,” and a delegate acts as your deputy.
- Relegation zone. In soccer, teams in the relegation zone drop a division, so relegate means moved down.
- Trust or demote? If you are trusting someone with the work, delegate; if you are pushing it down or away, relegate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between relegate and delegate?
Delegate means to hand a task or authority to someone else, while relegate means to push something down to a lower, less important position.
Is relegate a negative word?
Usually, yes. It suggests moving something down or out of the way, sometimes with a hint of getting rid of it.
Can you delegate a task and relegate it?
You can do both, but they mean different things: delegating hands the task to someone, while relegating lowers its priority.
Is delegate a noun or a verb?
Both. As a noun it means a person chosen to act for others, and as a verb it means to hand off tasks or authority.
What does relegated mean in sports?
In sports, relegated means a team is moved down to a lower division.
Conclusion
The relegate vs delegate choice comes down to direction: delegate hands work to someone you trust, while relegate pushes something down or away. When in doubt, ask whether you are sharing responsibility or lowering a ranking. Share this with someone who mixes these up, and retake the quiz above to see what stuck.