redeeming
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of redeeming
Explanation
A redeeming characteristic is one that counteracts or corrects something negative. If you can only think of one good thing about your next door neighbor, for example, that one thing is her redeeming quality. Your grandpa may be a difficult person who constantly criticizes you and complains about life. If, however, he makes the best chocolate chip cookies you've ever tasted, you can say that cookie baking is his redeeming quality. And if your dog is truly odd-looking, not cute at all except for her long ears, those ears are her one redeeming physical trait — they're the positive thing that balances out all the negatives.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The only redeeming aspect of the show happens here, on a ski slope, when their youngest daughter Valentina, who was born with Down syndrome, is treated to a lesson via an adaptive ski school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Its redeeming feature was supposed to be re-establishing freedom of navigation in the Strait while nuclear talks proceeded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Because private shares are highly illiquid, these investments are bound by lockup agreements, meaning that investors are prohibited from redeeming or withdrawing their capital for a certain period.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Gift card redemptions for fuel retailers are rising, the company said, and from January to March, Fetch saw a 20% lift in consumers redeeming fuel-related offers in the app.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Not all mythical beasts are friendly, of course, but even the hostile ones have certain amiable redeeming aspects.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
