Meaning & use
remission
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Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A time when a serious illness, especially cancer, improves or its signs disappear, although the disease may not be cured.
Grammar: Usually used with in or into: the cancer is in remission.
Patterns
- be in remission
- go into remission
Her cancer has been in remission for five years.
The doctor said the disease was in remission, not cured.
He went into remission after the new treatment.
noununcountableformallegal
The reduction or cancellation of a debt, a punishment or a duty.
Grammar: Formal; often seen in legal contexts: remission of a fine.
Patterns
- remission of something
The court granted remission of the fine.
Good behavior can earn a remission of part of a sentence.
The government offered remission of the debt for poor countries.
noununcountablereligion
In religion, the forgiveness of sins.
Grammar: Mostly appears in the phrase remission of sins.
Patterns
- remission of sins
The prayer asks for the remission of sins.
Baptism was understood as a remission of sins.
The priest spoke about remission and mercy.
Word forms
| plural | remissions |
|---|
Common combinations
- in remission
- His illness is in remission.
- go into remission
- The disease went into remission last year.
- complete remission
- Doctors reported complete remission.
- partial remission
- She is in partial remission.
- remission of sins
- The creed mentions remission of sins.
- achieve remission
- Most patients achieve remission with treatment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recovery
- Recovery implies getting better for good, while remission may be only temporary.
- respite
- Respite is a short break from something unpleasant, not specifically an illness.
- pardon
- Pardon is an official forgiveness of a crime, whereas remission can reduce a sentence or a debt.
- abatement
- Abatement means a decrease in strength or amount and is used for noise or pain, while remission is used for disease.
Opposites
Word family
- remit verb
- to cancel a debt or send money
- remittance noun
- a payment sent to someone
- remissible adjective
- able to be forgiven or canceled
- remissive adjective
- tending to lessen or forgive
Commonly confused: remission or recovery?
remission vs recovery
Recovery means getting well, whereas remission means that the disease is controlled but could return.
Practice
The patient's tests show no sign of disease, but doctors say it is in ___ rather than cured.
Choose one answer.
Remission is a period when disease signs fade. The other words end the same way but have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “remission”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.