redress
Americannoun
-
the setting right of what is wrong.
redress of abuses.
- Synonyms:
- atonement, remedy, restoration
-
relief from wrong or injury.
-
compensation or satisfaction for a wrong or injury.
verb
-
to put right (a wrong), esp by compensation; make reparation for
to redress a grievance
-
to correct or adjust (esp in the phrase redress the balance )
-
to make compensation to (a person) for a wrong
noun
-
the act or an instance of setting right a wrong; remedy or cure
to seek redress of grievances
-
compensation, amends, or reparation for a wrong, injury, etc
-
relief from poverty or want
Related Words
Redress, reparation, restitution suggest making amends or giving indemnification for a wrong. Redress may refer either to the act of setting right an unjust situation (as by some power), or to satisfaction sought or gained for a wrong suffered: the redress of grievances. Reparation means compensation or satisfaction for a wrong or loss inflicted. The word may have the moral idea of amends: to make reparation for one's neglect; but more frequently it refers to financial compensation (which is asked for, rather than given): the reparations demanded of the aggressor nations. Restitution means literally the restoration of what has been taken from the lawful owner: He demanded restitution of his land; it may also refer to restoring the equivalent of what has been taken: They made him restitution for his land.
Other Word Forms
- redressable adjective
- redresser noun
- redressible adjective
- redressor noun
- unredressable adjective
Etymology
Origin of redress
First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English redressen, from Middle French redresser, Old French redrecier, equivalent to re- re- + drecier “to straighten” ( dress ); (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French redresse, redresce, derivative of the verb
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 DH noted that Prof Hughes wrote to the prime minister in March asking him to set a clear timetable for the financial redress to be delivered without further delay.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
"We need this to happen very quickly and we need to also make sure that there is accountability as well as redress for the victims," he insisted.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
He added: "The least I and many others deserve is for the redress scheme to actually recognise what happened to hundreds, if not thousands of service personnel, was wrong."
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
Litigation serves essential purposes, including enforcing environmental laws and providing avenues for redress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
It was Carl’s heart that was now in question, whether he wanted to redress a wrong his own mother had perpetrated.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
