salvation

American  

[sal-vey-shuhn] / sælˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.

2. the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

3. a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

4. Theology. deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.

---

salvation British  

/ sælˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of preserving or the state of being preserved from harm

2. a person or thing that is the means of preserving from harm

3. Christianity deliverance by redemption from the power of sin and from the penalties ensuing from it

4. Christian Science the realization that Life, Truth, and Love are supreme and that they can destroy such illusions as sin, death, etc

---

salvation ¹ Cultural  

1. Being “saved” among Christians (see also Christian); salvation is freedom from the effects of the Fall of Man. This freedom comes through faith in Jesus, who is called in the New Testament “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” The Apostles taught that those who experience salvation in their lifetime on Earth and continue in their friendship with God will inherit eternal happiness in heaven.

---

salvation ² Cultural  

1. In Christianity, union or friendship with God and deliverance from original sin (see also original sin) and damnation. Jesus promised salvation to his followers.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonsalvation
  noun
• salvational
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of salvation

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English salvatio(u)n, from Late Latin salvātiōn-, stem of salvātiō “deliverance, saving,” from salvāt(us) “saved” (past participle of salvāre “to save”; see save ¹) + -iō -ion ( def. ); replacing Middle English sa(u)vaciun, sauvacion, from Old French sauvacion, from Late Latin, as above

Explanation

Salvation is the act of saving from sin or evil, or sometimes just from an unpleasant situation. The word salvation comes from the Latin salvare, "to save." Each of the monotheistic religions has a different idea about the way to achieve salvation. Salvation doesn't always have to do with theology; if a freak snowstorm on your camping trip has you worried about hypothermia, salvation can come in the form of an abandoned house with a working fireplace.

Example Sentences

Soon, a few were spotted living behind the Salvation Army down the block.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

But Salvation Army, which has a long-standing partnership with Eugenie, struck a more cautious note.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Museveni helped form the Front for National Salvation, which played a part in Amin's overthrow in 1979.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

Walking down Sixth Avenue in New York recently, I was mesmerized by a Salvation Army dude with his red donation bucket dancing to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

That first night in the apartment, Fadi lay on the living room floor, cocooned in a bedroll made up of old blankets from the Salvation Army.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• deliverance
• emancipation
• liberation
• pardon
• redemption
• restoration