reparation

[rep-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. 1. the making of amends for wrong or injury done.

      In reparation for the injustice, the king made him head of the agricultural department.

   2. something done or given to make amends.

      The prosecutor has requested a reparation of $32 million to victims of the crime.

   Synonyms: compensation, satisfaction, atonement, indemnification

2. Usually reparations

   1. compensation in money, material, labor, etc., payable by a defeated country to another country or to an individual for loss suffered during or as a result of war.

      The U.S. government eventually disbursed reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned during World War II.

   2. monetary or other compensation payable by a country to an individual for a historical wrong.

      The article is about reparations to Black people for the enslavement of their ancestors.

3. restoration to good condition.

   Synonyms: repair, renovate, renewal
   Antonyms: destruction

4. repair.

reparation

/ rɪˈpærətɪv, ˌrɛpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of making amends

   an injury admitting of no reparation

2. (usually plural) compensation exacted as an indemnity from a defeated nation by the victors: esp the compensation demanded of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I

3. the act or process of repairing or state of having been repaired

reparation

1. Compensation demanded by a victorious nation from a defeated nation. Reparations can be in the form of goods or money.

After World War I, heavy reparation debts were imposed on Germany by Britain, France, and the other victorious nations. Resentment over these reparations aided the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Other Word Forms

• nonreparation noun
• reparative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reparation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English reparacion, from Middle French, from Late Latin reparātiōn- (stem of reparātiō ), equivalent to Latin reparāt(us) (past participle of reparāre “to repair” ( repair ¹, -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- noun suffix ( -ion )

Word History and Origins

Origin of reparation¹

C14 reparacioun , ultimately from Latin reparāre to _repair ¹

Synonym Study

See redress.

Example Sentences

In 2023, a UN judge said the UK likely owed more than £18tn in reparations for its historical role in slavery.

Read more on BBC

"We demand truth, justice, and reparations," the organisation added.

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The group submitted a 400-page legal petition to the Foreign Office earlier this month seeking an official apology and reparations from the UK.

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California became the first state government in the country to study reparations after the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer sparked a national conversation on racial justice.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Southern Man”? It’s probably a little glib to declare it a song about reparations, but it’s also not an incorrect observation.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• apology 
• atonement 
• indemnity 
• payment 
• redress 
• remuneration 
• renewal 
• repayment www.thesaurus.com
• restitution