Showing results for "redeeming"

• present participle of redeem.

redeeming

American  

[ri-dee-ming] / rɪˈdi mɪŋ /

adjective

1. offsetting or counterbalancing some fault, defect, or the like.

   a redeeming quality.

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redeeming British  

/ rɪˈdiːmɪŋ /

adjective

1. serving to compensate for faults or deficiencies in quality, etc

   one redeeming feature

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Other Word Forms

• unredeeming
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of redeeming

First recorded in 1745–55; redeem + -ing ²

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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

See Examples For:

redeeming

It’s a fun concept—the machine taking on pesky tasks that offer no redeeming mental value—but there’s an important group standing in Big Tech’s way: Big Tech.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

I love to ask authors who write books, with characters who would widely be perceived as unlikable, what do you think are Mallory and Leo’s most redeeming qualities, and how did you empathize with them?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Once Social Security’s benefit payments exceed payroll-tax revenue — an issue that is now worrying lawmakers, workers and retirees — the Social Security Administration starts redeeming those bonds.

From MarketWatch ● May 2, 2026

Beyond that, the invaluable learning he so selflessly offered countless young artists at New World will ensure that his faith in orchestral music’s redeeming powers echoes for decades to come.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

Any hopes Pollard had of redeeming himself there were quickly silenced.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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