What does "reprieve" mean?
The cancellation or postponement of a punishment.
Reprieve
/ɹɪˈpɹiːv/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The cancellation or postponement of a punishment.
- Grammar: reprieve is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: respite, abatement, absolution, afterthought.
- Useful contrasts: aggravate, burden, duty.
- Usage evidence: Tom has been granted a reprieve.
How to use "reprieve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reprieve" 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 "reprieve" 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 "reprieve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reprieve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- 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 "reprieve" 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 "respite" 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 "reprieve", 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 The cancellation or postponement of a punishment.
"The prisoner was saved from execution; the governor had requested a reprieve."
- 2 the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment wordnet
- 3 A document authorizing such an action.
- 4 a warrant granting postponement (usually to postpone the execution of the death sentence) wordnet
- 5 Relief from pain etc., especially temporary.
"Yet it was not easy, on the balance of play, to be convinced by Pellegrini and his defeated players that the reprieve might somehow be a defining moment over the two legs."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 an interruption in the intensity or amount of something wordnet
- 7 A cancellation or postponement of a proposed event undesired by many.
"At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service."
- 8 a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort wordnet
Verb
- 1 To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution. transitive
- 2 relieve temporarily wordnet
- 3 To bring relief to someone. transitive
"Company […] may reprieve a man from his melancholy, yet it cannot secure him from his conscience."
- 4 postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution wordnet
- 5 To take back to prison (in lieu of execution). obsolete, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To abandon or postpone plans to close, withdraw or abolish (something). transitive
"At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service."
Example
"Tom has been granted a reprieve."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reprieve"?
Common synonyms include: respite, abatement, absolution, afterthought, alleviate, amnesty.
How do you use "reprieve" in a sentence?
Tom has been granted a reprieve.
How do you pronounce "reprieve"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/.
Etymology
First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise. The sense has become generalized, but does retain connotations of punishment and execution. The noun's first use appears c. 1592.