noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:/pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P EH2 R AH0 S T R OY1 K AH0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A program of political and economic reform carried out in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The period of time in the Soviet Union during which these reforms were carried out and in effect.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A situation where a small variation of parameters leads to a sudden change in properties.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Qualifier: singularity theory
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
an economic policy adopted in the former Soviet Union; intended to increase automation and labor efficiency but it led eventually to the end of central planning in the Russian economy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: economic policy
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian перестро́йка (perestrójka, “restructuring”).
Across languages
Translations
61 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
بِيرِيسْتْرُويْكَا
(bīrīstrūykā)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Armenian:
պերեստրոյկա
(perestroyka)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Azerbaijani:
yenidənqurma
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Belarusian:
перабудо́ва
(pjerabudóva)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Bulgarian:
перестро́йка
(perestrójka)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Chinese Mandarin:
經濟改革 /经济改革
(jīngjì gǎigé)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Czech:
přestavba
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Czech:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Danish:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Dutch:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Erzya:
одстеема
(odstejema)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Esperanto:
perestrojko
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Estonian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Finnish:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Finnish:
uudelleenrakentaminen
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
French:
perestroïka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Georgian:
პერესტროიკა
(ṗeresṭroiḳa)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Georgian:
გარდაქმნა
(gardakmna)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
German:
Perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
German:
Umbau
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
German:
Umgestaltung
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Greek:
περεστρόικα
(perestróika)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Hebrew:
פֶּרֶסְטְרוֹיְקָה
(perestroika)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Hindi:
पेरेस्ट्रोइका
(peresṭroikā)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Hungarian:
peresztrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Ido:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Indonesian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Italian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Japanese:
ペレストロイカ
(peresutoroika)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Kazakh:
қайта құру
(qaita qūru)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Korean:
페레스트로이카
(pereseuteuroika)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Northern Kurdish:
perestroyka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Latvian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Lithuanian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Lithuanian:
persitvarkymas
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Luxembourgish:
Perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Malay:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Marathi:
पेरेस्ट्रॉइका
(peresṭrŏikā)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Mongolian:
перестройка
(perestrojka)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Norwegian:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Persian:
پرسترویکا
(perestroykâ)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Polish:
pieriestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Polish:
pierestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Portuguese:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Romanian:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Russian:
перестро́йка
(perestrójka)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Serbo-Croatian:
перестро̑јка
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Serbo-Croatian:
престројка
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Serbo-Croatian:
perestrȏjka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Serbo-Croatian:
prestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Slovak:
prestavba
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Slovak:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Slovene:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Spanish:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Swedish:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Tagalog:
perestrojka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Thai:
การปรับเปลี่ยนโครงสร้าง
(gaan bpràp bplìan kroong sâang)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Turkish:
perestroyka
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Ukrainian:
перебудо́ва
(perebudóva)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Vietnamese:
perestroika
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
Yiddish:
פּערעסטרויקע
(perestroyke)
— reform in the Soviet Union in 1980s
