remission

American  

[ri-mish-uhn] / rɪˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

• remissions
  plural

1. the act of remitting.

2. pardon; forgiveness, as of sins or offenses.

   Synonyms:

   absolution

   Antonyms:

   censure, blame

3. abatement or diminution, as of diligence, labor, intensity, etc.

   Synonyms:

   relaxation

   Antonyms:

   intensification

4. the relinquishment of a payment, obligation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   release

5. Medicine/Medical.

   1. a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease.

   2. a period during which such a decrease or subsidence occurs.

      The patient's leukemia was in remission.

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remission British  

/ rɪˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of remitting or state of being remitted

2. a reduction of the term of a sentence of imprisonment, as for good conduct

   he got three years' remission

3. forgiveness for sin

4. discharge or release from penalty, obligation, etc

5. lessening of intensity; abatement, as in the severity of symptoms of a disease

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remission Scientific  

/ rĭ-mĭsh′ən /

1. Abatement or subsiding of the symptoms of a disease.

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remission Cultural  

1. A period in the course of a disease when symptoms become less severe.

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Usage

What is remission? In medicine, remission refers to a temporary or permanent decrease in the symptoms of a disease. Remission also refers to a release from a penalty or obligation, as in Fang was relieved when the bank gave him remission for the late fees on his car loan. Remission can also refer to the forgiveness of sin, as in The remission of sin is granted by the Church. Example: After four years of fighting cancer, I finally entered remission last week.

Discover More

The term remission is often used in speaking of sufferers from leukemia or other cancers whose symptoms lessen or disappear. In such a case, the disease is said to be “in remission.” The period of remission may last only briefly or may extend over several months or years.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonremission
  noun
• remissive
  adjective
• remissively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• remissions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of remission

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin remissiōn-, stem of remissiō; equivalent to remiss + -ion

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Explanation

Remission refers to a stage of lesser intensity, when something subsides or improves. Remission is usually a good thing — like when your cancer is in remission, it means that it is manageable and not getting any worse. Remission comes from the Latin remissionem, meaning "relaxation; a sending back." If something difficult lets up, you'll be able to relax a little. For example, if you are being pelted non-stop during a dodgeball game, you'd hope for a remission so you'd have a minute to take a breath and find your glasses. Another meaning of the noun remission is a payment. Your college tuition remission must be taken care of before you start classes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remission remissions

The former University of Virginia standout was reportedly diagnosed with the Grade 4 cancer last year and briefly went into remission, but the tumors returned in July, according to Houston news site Chron.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In April, Blair said she remained in remission but continued to experience fatigue and other lasting symptoms.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

In 2021, she announced she was in remission for the disease.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Most patients respond well to treatment, but 6-28 percent fall into the so-called "difficult-to-treat" group because they do not achieve lasting remission despite therapy.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

As for my premonitions, they seem to be in remission, for the moment anyway.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Adding a third treatment called CSF-1R blockade, which targets tumor associated macrophages, increased the number of complete remissions to five out of ten mice.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

Through his remissions, they pursued fertility treatments and rounds of IVF, but miscarried each time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

She added: "As the cost-of-living crisis continues and families are struggling more, we are finding that more are needing to access these remissions, which means our costs are going up."

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2024

Cromhout told Science that four children now have had ART-free remissions for longer than 6 months and one is out 29 months.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 7, 2024

Fines eighty-nine thousand dollars, remissions seven thousand dollars; fines sixty-one thousand dollars, remissions thirteen thousand dollars.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Legal by Robert Green Ingersoll

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Related Words

• absolution
• amnesty
• exemption
• exoneration
• forgiveness
• reprieve

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