Redemption
/rɪˈdɛmpʃən/
nounC1
Definition
Redemption means fixing a wrong or bad situation by doing something good afterward. It often involves being forgiven or saving oneself from a bad state. People use it in stories, religion, and everyday life when someone wants to show they have changed or made up for past mistakes.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Act of being forgiven or saved from a bad situation
- •After many mistakes, he sought redemption by helping others.
- •The story shows the hero’s redemption after years of bad choices.
- •Redemption can bring peace to someone who feels guilty.
In religion, saving the soul from sin or badness
- •Many religions teach about redemption through good deeds or faith.
- •Redemption is a key idea in Christian beliefs about forgiveness.
- •People pray for redemption to feel free from their sins.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'redemption' like 'help,' but much bigger—it means fixing a serious problem or mistake, not just small help.
- ✓Picture a person climbing out of a dark hole into sunlight, showing they have escaped a bad place or feeling.
- ✓It's the feeling you get when someone says 'I’m sorry' and you believe they really want to be better.
- ✓Sounds like 'read-em-ption' → imagine reading a message that gives you a chance to start fresh or be free.
- ✓Think of famous stories where a character does something bad but later becomes a hero by making things right.
- ✓NOT like 'punishment' (which is about paying for a wrong), redemption is about being forgiven or saved after a wrong.
- ✓NOT like 'apology' (only words), redemption includes actions that show real change or improvement.
- ✓NOT like 'reward' (something good for success), redemption is about fixing or saving after failure or mistake.
Try Other Words
- •Forgiveness: being allowed to forget a mistake (Use when focusing on pardon without action)
- •Atonement: making up for a wrong (Use when emphasizing actions to fix a mistake)
- •Salvation: being saved from harm or sin (Use in religious or serious contexts about saving)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: 're-' (again) + 'empt' (from Latin 'emere' meaning to buy) + '-ion' (noun suffix)
- •Etymology: From Latin 'redemptio,' meaning 'a buying back' or 'a recovery'
- •Historical development: Originally meant buying something back, like freeing a person by paying money; later used in religion and general sense of saving or fixing
- •Modern usage: Used in everyday and religious language to describe being saved, forgiven, or making up for mistakes
Reflect & Connect
•Can redemption happen without saying sorry? What actions might show true redemption?
•How does the idea of redemption change how we think about people who make mistakes?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the accident, he worked hard for redemption by ___ his mistakes through good actions.
2.Redemption often comes when someone feels ___ and wants to change.
3.Unlike a simple apology, redemption requires ___ to fix what was wrong.
4.In many stories, the character’s redemption is shown by ___ others or making sacrifices.
5.People often seek redemption to feel ___ from guilt or shame.
6.Redemption is different from punishment because it focuses on ___, not just paying for a mistake.
7.When someone finds redemption, it means they have ___ from a bad past or feeling.