remedy

noun rem·e·dy \ ˈre-mə-dē \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of remedy

plural remedies

1 : a medicine, application, or treatment that relieves or cures a disease

2 : something that corrects or counteracts

3 : the legal means to recover a right or to prevent or obtain redress for a wrong

—

remediless

adjective

See remedy defined for English-language learners

See remedy defined for kids

Examples of remedy in a Sentence

Building more roads isn't always the best remedy for traffic congestion.
The problem was beyond remedy.
She was left without remedy since the court did not recognize her claim.

Recent Examples of remedy from the Web

If a country went into a recession or its currency weakened, the only remedy was to attract foreign money by forcing prices down, cutting government spending, or raising interest rates—which, in effect, meant throwing people out of work.

— caleb crain, The New Yorker, "Is Capitalism a Threat to Democracy?," 7 May 2018
Instead, the court is leaving it up to the judge to decide what the proper remedy is, Gerald Word, Putnal’s defense attorney, said Monday afternoon.

— alexis stevens, ajc, "State Supreme Court: Pre-trial judge erred in Polk County death penalty case," 7 May 2018
Ellis, though, suggested another remedy would be to simply hand the case back to regular federal prosecutors.

— matthew barakat, BostonGlobe.com, "Judge poses pointed questions on Manafort charges at hearing," 4 May 2018
Ellis, though, suggested another remedy would be to simply hand the case back to regular federal prosecutors.

— Washington Post, "Judge poses pointed questions on Manafort charges at hearing," 4 May 2018
The remedy Burdette pursued, and got, was a ban against the company entering any consumer transactions in the county or sending mailings to any consumer in the county.

— mark davis, kansascity, "The sweepstakes no one ever won: Feds finally target $100 million KC-based schemes | The Kansas City Star," 27 Apr. 2018
The only remedy is frequently replacement, not repair.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Pothole damage? Choosing the right tire and wheel can protect you," 26 Apr. 2018
The choice to remove the tree was a hard one for the city, but the internal decay that had spread within the core of the tree had been spreading too far for remedy.

— zachariah durr, cleveland.com, "See a time-lapse video of 250-year-old tree taken down in Lakewood in under 60 seconds," 22 Mar. 2018
Cinnamon has long been used for not only making food taste better, but also for home remedies and medicinal purposes.

— julie pennell, Good Housekeeping, "4 Deliciously Healthy Reasons to Love Cinnamon," 3 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'remedy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of remedy

Middle English remedie, from Anglo-French, from Latin remedium, from re- + mederi to heal — more at medical

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

remedy Synonyms

Synonyms

cure, drug, medicament, medication, medicinal, medicine, pharmaceutical, physic, specific;

Related Words

cure-all, nostrum, panacea;

botanical, patent medicine, prescription, prescription drug;

cordial, potion, tonic;

miracle drug, wonder drug;

cap, capsule, pill, tablet;

injection, shot;

embrocation, liniment, lotion, ointment, potion, poultice, salve;

antibiotic, antiseptic, serum;

cathartic, purgative;

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

remedy

verb

Definition of remedy

remedied; remedying

transitive verb

: to provide or serve as a remedy for : relieve

remedy a social evil

See remedy defined for English-language learners

Examples of remedy in a Sentence

Something must be done to remedy the problem.
The conflict can be remedied by scheduling the meeting for next week.

Recent Examples of remedy from the Web

Ever since the band parted ways in 2011, Gat has been doing his best to remedy that injustice with a series of solo records that showcase his chops to mesmerizing effect.

— monica kendrick, Chicago Reader, "Exploratory guitarist Yontan Gat finds inspiration across the world on his new album, Universalists," 3 May 2018
The woman was able to contact the girl's therapist, who helped remedy the situation without police involvement.

— andy attina / cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Man tries stealing suitcase filled with Red Bull: South Euclid Police Blotter," 2 May 2018
Many aides now view the EPA administrator as an unnecessary problem who has only made matters worse for himself by ignoring White House offers to help him remedy the situation, according to people familiar with the matter.

— kaitlan collins, kevin liptak and jeff zeleny, CNN, "Pruitt fears White House undermining him ahead of hearings," 26 Apr. 2018
The Royals could do little to remedy it when former teammate Joakim Soria entered the game to record his first save with the White Sox.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Maurer squanders lead in Royals' 4-3 loss to the White Sox | The Kansas City Star," 31 Mar. 2018
To its credit, the CIA from its earliest days has acknowledged the gender inequities and has attempted to remedy them.

— ian shapira, Washington Post, "A woman atop the CIA was once unthinkable. But female spies have always been remarkable.," 13 Mar. 2018
For the past few years lawmakers have attempted to help remedy Indiana's public health issues by increasing the cigarette tax.

— kaitlin l lange, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana lawmakers push to increase smoking age to 21," 29 Jan. 2018
Years of litigation followed, and in 2017 a special three-judge federal court in Texas ordered the 27th and 35th congressional districts redrawn to remedy the discrimination.

— jess bravin, WSJ, "In Racial Gerrymandering Case, Texas Defends Its Legislative Districts," 24 Apr. 2018
Nobody knows where the top court is headed with this cluster of redistricting cases, though some analysts suggest that alleged racial discrimination might be easier to remedy than discrimination based on party affiliation alone.

— allie morris, San Antonio Express-News, "Top court to take up racial question in Texas redistricting case," 22 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of remedy

15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

remedy Synonyms

Synonyms

amend, correct, debug, emend, rectify, red-pencil, reform;

Near Antonyms

damage, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil;

aggravate, worsen;

blue-pencil, cut, shorten;

redress, right;

ameliorate, better, improve;

perfect, polish, touch up;

fix, mend, repair;

adjust, modulate, regulate;

alter, change, modify;

Synonym Discussion of remedy

correct, rectify, emend, remedy, redress, amend, reform, revise mean to make right what is wrong. correct implies taking action to remove errors, faults, deviations, defects.

- correct your spelling

rectify implies a more essential changing to make something right, just, or properly controlled or directed.

- rectify a misguided policy

emend specifically implies correction of a text or manuscript.

- emend a text

remedy implies removing or making harmless a cause of trouble, harm, or evil.

- set out to remedy the evils of the world

redress implies making compensation or reparation for an unfairness, injustice, or imbalance.

- redress past social injustices

amend, reform, revise imply an improving by making corrective changes, amend usually suggesting slight changes

- amend a law

, reform implying drastic change

- plans to reform the court system

, and revise suggesting a careful examination of something and the making of necessary changes.

- revise the schedule

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

REMEDY Defined for English Language Learners

remedy

noun

Definition of remedy for English Language Learners

: a medicine or treatment that relieves pain or cures a usually minor illness
: a way of solving or correcting a problem

remedy

verb

Definition of remedy for English Language Learners

: to solve, correct, or improve (something)

REMEDY Defined for Kids

remedy

noun rem·e·dy \ ˈre-mə-dē \

Definition of remedy for Students

plural remedies

1 : a medicine or treatment that cures or relieves

2 : something that corrects a problem

remedy

verb

Definition of remedy for Students

remedied; remedying

: to provide or serve as a cure or solution for An explanation remedied the confusion.

Medical Dictionary

remedy

noun rem·e·dy \ ˈrem-əd-ē \

medical Definition of remedy

plural remedies

: a medicine, application, or treatment that relieves or cures a disease

—

remedy

transitive verb remedied; remedying

Law Dictionary

remedy

noun rem·e·dy

legal Definition of remedy

plural remedies

: the means to enforce a right or to prevent or obtain redress for a wrong : the relief (as damages, restitution, specific performance, or an injunction) that may be given or ordered by a court or other tribunal for a wrong

if the contract is null and void, the remedy is to rescind and to put the parties in the position in which they were prior to the attempted agreement
—First Nat'l Mortgage Corp. v. The Manhattan Life Ins. Co., 360 So. 2d 264 (1978)

specific performance and other equitable remedies

—

remediless

adjective

remedy

transitive verb

legal Definition of remedy

remedied; remedying

: to provide or serve as a remedy for

Learn More about remedy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for remedy Spanish Central: Translation of remedy Nglish: Translation of remedy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of remedy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about remedy

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up remedy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

remedy

Definition of remedy

remediless

Examples of remedy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of remedy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of remedy

remedy Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Pharmacology Terms

remedy

Definition of remedy

Examples of remedy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of remedy from the Web

First Known Use of remedy

remedy Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of remedy

Other Pharmacology Terms

Phrases Related to REMEDY

Related Phrases

REMEDY Defined for English Language Learners

remedy

Definition of remedy for English Language Learners

remedy

Definition of remedy for English Language Learners

REMEDY Defined for Kids

remedy

Definition of remedy for Students

remedy

Definition of remedy for Students

Medical Dictionary

remedy

medical Definition of remedy

remedy

Law Dictionary

remedy

legal Definition of remedy

remediless

remedy

legal Definition of remedy

Learn More about remedy

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

12 Words from All Over the Map

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word