remedial
Americanadjective
-
intended to correct or improve one's skill in a specified field.
remedial math.
- Synonyms:
- corrective
adjective
-
affording a remedy; curative
-
denoting or relating to special teaching, teaching methods, or material for backward and slow learners
remedial education
Other Word Forms
- nonremedial adjective
- nonremedially adverb
- remedially adverb
Etymology
Origin of remedial
From the Late Latin word remediālis, dating back to 1645–55. See remedy, -al 1
Explanation
When you do poorly in a subject and get sent to a class that focuses on basic concepts and better study habits, you are taking a remedial class. If you know that a remedy is a type of medicine, then you have a clue to the meaning of remedial. Like a remedy, remedial classes are supposed to improve you, specifically in school subjects that you haven't done well in. Lately, the term is most often used to describe courses given to students who are not prepared for regular work. New college students often have to take remedial classes before they can begin actual university-level courses.
Vocabulary lists containing remedial
30 GRE Words Beginning with "Q" "R" and "S"
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"An Early Start on College"
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Lucky Broken Girl
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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.
Inventory management, cash flow and marketing are essential subjects in any business narrative, but readers looking for that story will be disappointed with observations bordering on the remedial.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
The court heard that since the incident FP McCann, one of the largest quarrying companies in the UK, has invested, improved their risks assessments and taken remedial steps to ensure there is no repetition.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
In 100 years of public education, we have gone from teaching Latin and Greek in high school to teaching remedial English in college.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
These special programs that are supposed to be remedial do harm, not just good.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
She could not even take theater classes until her senior year because her schedule was loaded up with remedial math and English and courses in study and life skills.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
