remedy
Americannoun
-
remedies
plural
-
something that cures or relieves a disease or bodily disorder; a healing medicine, application, or treatment.
- Synonyms:
- medication, medicament, specific, restorative, cure
-
something that corrects or removes an evil of any kind.
- Synonyms:
- antidote, corrective
-
Law. legal redress; the legal means of enforcing a right or redressing a wrong.
-
Coining. a certain allowance at the mint for deviation from the standard weight and fineness of coins; tolerance.
verb (used with object)
-
remedies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
remedied,
past participle, past
-
remedying
present participle
noun
-
any drug or agent that cures a disease or controls its symptoms
-
anything that serves to put a fault to rights, cure defects, improve conditions, etc
a remedy for industrial disputes
-
the legally permitted variation from the standard weight or quality of coins; tolerance
verb
-
to relieve or cure (a disease, illness, etc) by or as if by a remedy
-
to put to rights (a fault, error, etc); correct
Synonym Usage
See cure.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
remedysimple
-
remediessimple
-
have remediedperfect
-
has remediedperfect
-
am remedyingprogressive
-
are remedyingprogressive
-
is remedyingprogressive
-
have been remedyingperfect progressive
-
has been remedyingperfect progressive
Past
-
remediedsimple
-
had remediedperfect
-
was remedyingprogressive
-
were remedyingprogressive
-
had been remedyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of remedy
First recorded in 1175–1225; (for the noun) Middle English remedie, from Anglo-French, from Latin remedium, from re- re- + med(ērī) “to heal” ( cf. medical) + -ium -ium; (for the verb) late Middle English remedien, from Middle French remedier, from Latin remediāre, derivative of remedium
Explanation
A remedy is something that relieves or cures a problem or illness. Aloe vera is a common remedy for sunburn. If you're having trouble sleeping, the first remedy you might try is a hot bath and a cup of chamomile tea. If that doesn't help, you may resort to something stronger, like a sedative. If a streetlight shining in your window is part of the problem, you can remedy the situation with some room-darkening shades. But if it's your upstairs neighbors and their all-night partying that's keeping you awake, you may have to consider a legal remedy.
Vocabulary lists containing remedy
Vocabulary from Beyoncé's "Lemonade"
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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.
See Examples For:
District Judge David O. Carter — in his denial of the administration’s effort to block the California ballots — that the federal government already had a remedy of criminal prosecutions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Machaela O'Brien, legal advisor for Devon and Cornwall Police, said closure orders could provide an "immediate remedy" but were a "draconian measure".
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The other remedy is for Congress and states to pass new laws or update existing ones.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
“This is the perfect example of where insurance is the ultimate remedy, but the people who want it can’t get it.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Those who follow the first method can remedy their standing, both with God and with men, as Agathocles did; the others cannot possibly maintain their positions.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Some people have the ability to recognize problems, assess possible remedies, seek wise advice and apply those lessons to their own circumstances.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
As in Johnson’s case, the government moved to dismiss my lawsuit in part because I had not exhausted my administrative remedies.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
The agreement covers trade in goods and services, intellectual property rights, trade remedies and sustainable development, among other areas, both parties say.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Luckily, those diseases can be cured by antibiotics or other remedies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Not because of a lack of faith in her mother’s remedies.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
“Irregular took immediate action, and all known issues on our end were remedied and resolved weeks ago.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Every single person in that room revealed that they had dense breasts, which we thought could be remedied somehow through self-massage.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026
"This situation must be remedied – not by going 'further and faster' - but by recognising and fixing the clear and destructive weaknesses in your government's approach," she wrote.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
In its ruling, it noted initial "shortcomings" in the environmental impact assessment decision-making process, but said they were remedied within enough time not to affect that right.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025
The only awkwardness the moment lacked was the omnipotent presence of Mr. Stonecrop, who soon remedied the absence.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
The iOS 26.4 update improved keyboard accuracy by remedying the ghost-letter problem, but autocorrect issues persist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
“This has been one of the holy grails of remedying the Korean discount, and there’s at least a 50-50 chance of it passing this year,” he says.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
The truce extension will give more time for negotiations about "remedying trade imbalances" and "unfair trade practices", the White House said.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
“Why not just jump straight into the deep end?” said Karty, who is charged with remedying the Rams’ woebegone kicking of 2023 .
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
Fizz is prone to remedying me and would invariably seek the answer to my “problem.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
