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
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
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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.
Bessent is “looking to put a remedial plan in place,” Turner told MarketWatch in an email.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The shift at Michigan, among the nation’s largest and best-known public universities, comes as schools wrestle with grade inflation and the need for remedial instruction for freshmen ill-prepared for college-level classes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
To ensure compliance with the remedial plan, Sykes ordered ICE to provide access to “two qualified, independent, third-party monitors for the duration of this litigation or until terminated by court order.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Since 2020, 30 fish-kill cases have led to prosecutions or ongoing legal proceedings, resulting in £44,000 in fines and remedial costs.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Teenagers from the North spend two months to two years at Hangyoreh Middle-High School, a government-funded remedial boarding school affiliated with Hanawon.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
