What does "remission" mean?
A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt.
Remission
/ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt.
- Grammar: remission is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abatement, abatement, abeyance, absolution.
- Useful contrasts: infectious illness onset, respiratory illness onset, acute illness onset event.
- Usage evidence: Doctors declared Layla's cancer in remission.
How to use "remission"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "remission" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "remission" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "remission" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "remission" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "remission" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abatement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "remission", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt. countable, uncountable
"Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſters handes, ordained for that purpoſe, […]"
- 2 the act of absolving or remitting; formal redemption as pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance wordnet
- 3 A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing. countable, uncountable
"Preceptors have all aſſented to this one principle,—that diſcipline , and amuſement ſhould alternately ſucceed each other. […] You may relax your care, but the youthful mind will be full occupied, and more earneſtly buſied in the career of voluntary play, than on any impoſed taſk. During the remiſſions of ſchool the mind is only tranſferred from one object to another: […]"
- 4 (law) the act of remitting (especially the referral of a law case to another court) wordnet
- 5 A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing.; A reduction or cancellation of the penalty for a criminal offence; in particular, the reduction of a prison sentence as a recognition of the prisoner's good behaviour. countable, uncountable
"That Mr. Carstairs answer all interrogatories that shall be put to him, betwixt and the first of October next, upon his great oath. That which being done, he shall have his majesty's full pardon and remission, for his life, limb, estate, and fame."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 an abatement in intensity or degree (as in the manifestations of a disease) wordnet
- 7 A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing.; An abatement or lessening of the manifestations of a disease; a period where the symptoms of a disease are absent. countable, uncountable
"Her cancer was in remission."
- 8 a payment of money sent to a person in another place wordnet
- 9 An act of remitting, returning, or sending back. countable, uncountable
- 10 An act of remitting, returning, or sending back.; A referral of a case back to another (especially a lower or inferior) court of law; a remand, a remittal. countable, uncountable
"It was held by the Court of Errors and Appeals that the remission of the case to the trial court for clarification of the verdict was justified, and that the record, as corrected, clearly indicated that the recommendation of life imprisonment should apply only to Rannelli and not to Merra."
- 11 Reflection or back-scattering of light by a material; (to send back) countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To change the mission of; to provide with a new mission. transitive
"The Strykers have been remissioned, actually, to a mission of road security that actually takes advantage of the mobility that they provide."
Antonyms
Example
"Doctors declared Layla's cancer in remission."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "remission"?
Common synonyms include: abatement, abatement, abeyance, absolution, absolution, absolving.
How do you use "remission" in a sentence?
Doctors declared Layla's cancer in remission.
How do you pronounce "remission"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English remissioun (“release from duty; freeing of captives; mercy, pardon, respite; forgiveness; release from or reduction of penances; reduction in intensity (of a quality, symptom, etc.); transfer of property, quitclaim; legal opinion or submission; reference, cross-reference”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman remission, remissione, remissioun, remissiun and Middle French, Old French remission (“forgiveness of sin; pardoning of an offence; postponement; cessation, suspension; diminishing or weakening of something; reduction of debt; reduction in intensity of a disease or symptom”) (modern French rémission), and their etymon Late Latin remissiō (“forgiveness; pardon of sins”), Latin remissiō (“release; sending back; easing off, relaxing, softening; reduction of debt; reduction in intensity of a disease or symptom”), from remittō (“to remit, send back; to diminish; to relax; to do without, forego”) + -siō. Remittō is derived from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + mittō (“to cause to go; to send; to discharge, emit, let go, release; to throw; to extend, reach out; to announce, tell; to produce, yield; to attend, escort, guide; to dismiss, disregard; to end”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change, exchange; to change places, go past”) or *(s)meyt- (“to throw”)). The English word is cognate with Catalan remissió, Italian remissioni, remissione (“remission; withdrawal of legal action; compliance, submission”), Old Occitan remessió, Portuguese remisson, remissão (“pardon; remission”), Spanish remisión (“remission”).
Etymology 2
From re- + mission.