redress 1 of 2

Definition of redressnext

redress

2 of 2

verb

as in to avenge
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for the belief that redressing a murder with another murder, even if carried out by the state, is not morally justified

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb redress differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of redress are amend, correct, emend, rectify, reform, remedy, and revise. While all these words mean "to make right what is wrong," redress implies making compensation or reparation for an unfairness, injustice, or imbalance.

redress past social injustices

How is amend related to other words for redress?

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

amend a law

When might correct be a better fit than redress?

The synonyms correct and redress are sometimes interchangeable, but correct implies taking action to remove errors, faults, deviations, defects.

correct your spelling

Where would emend be a reasonable alternative to redress?

Although the words emend and redress have much in common, emend specifically implies correction of a text or manuscript.

emend a text

When is rectify a more appropriate choice than redress?

The words rectify and redress can be used in similar contexts, but rectify implies a more essential changing to make something right, just, or properly controlled or directed.

rectify a misguided policy

In what contexts can reform take the place of redress?

While the synonyms reform and redress are close in meaning, reform implies drastic change.

plans to reform the court system

When can remedy be used instead of redress?

The words remedy and redress are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, remedy implies removing or making harmless a cause of trouble, harm, or evil.

set out to remedy the evils of the world

When could revise be used to replace redress?

In some situations, the words revise and redress are roughly equivalent. However, revise suggests a careful examination of something and the making of necessary changes.

revise the schedule

How does the verb redress differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of redress are amend, correct, emend, rectify, reform, remedy, and revise. While all these words mean "to make right what is wrong," redress implies making compensation or reparation for an unfairness, injustice, or imbalance.

redress past social injustices

How is amend related to other words for redress?

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

amend a law

When might correct be a better fit than redress?

The synonyms correct and redress are sometimes interchangeable, but correct implies taking action to remove errors, faults, deviations, defects.

correct your spelling

Where would emend be a reasonable alternative to redress?

Although the words emend and redress have much in common, emend specifically implies correction of a text or manuscript.

emend a text

When is rectify a more appropriate choice than redress?

The words rectify and redress can be used in similar contexts, but rectify implies a more essential changing to make something right, just, or properly controlled or directed.

rectify a misguided policy

In what contexts can reform take the place of redress?

While the synonyms reform and redress are close in meaning, reform implies drastic change.

plans to reform the court system

When can remedy be used instead of redress?

The words remedy and redress are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, remedy implies removing or making harmless a cause of trouble, harm, or evil.

set out to remedy the evils of the world

When could revise be used to replace redress?

In some situations, the words revise and redress are roughly equivalent. However, revise suggests a careful examination of something and the making of necessary changes.

revise the schedule

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of redress
Noun
Jung, a close ally of Lee, said the government is willing to expand legal redress and speed compensation for victims of government abuses whose cases have been verified by the truth commission. ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026 In response to one such filing, plaintiffs attorney Francis Curran wrote that his 83-year-old client had been seeking redress for her husband’s death for nine years. Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
The village’s Black residents, including Hettie, are energized by a promising but tangled effort to redress a long-standing injustice—the unequal compensation received by Black South African soldiers in the Second World War. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026 South Africa last year said the US had applied pressure on Pretoria to end laws aimed at redressing wealth imbalances caused by apartheid, and Washington later slapped a 30% tariff on many South African exports — the highest on the continent. semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for redress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for redress
Noun
  • Instead, reparations for the more than 65,000 victims will be paid by the Trust Fund for Victims, set up by the court’s member states to distribute the funds.
    Molly Quell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • While there is a respectable moral case to be made for some form of reparations, Tubbs appears to be excessively fixated on policy ideas that would bankrupt our state if actually implemented.
    Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Current political events offer a seemingly endless procession of cruelties worth avenging.
    Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with Israel responding with strikes and a ground invasion.
    April 27, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Rodríguez did not specify how much of the $240 corresponds to base salary — which determines pensions, severance and other labor benefits — and how much comes from discretionary bonuses that do not count toward long-term compensation.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
  • And that rate is used to then slot in the rookie compensation for draft picks, except for the compensatory selections (more on those later).
    Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • During closing arguments, Lynn Johnson, an attorney for Christine and Christopher Nolte, suggested the jury award $10 million for noneconomic damages and $5 million for economic damages.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Tom Steyer The Democratic billionaire hedge fund founder who is positioning himself as the climate candidate in the race touted his drive to make oil companies pay for damages from climate change, including rising insurance rates and homes lost to wildfires.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Redress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/redress. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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