redemption

redemption — noun

1. a fixed expression used to say that a person, situation, or thing is so bad that

1.nounB2
Definition

a fixed expression used to say that a person, situation, or thing is so bad that no one can make it better or save it

Example

Years of illegal dumping left the lake beyond redemption, and nothing could bring it back.

beyond redemption — fixed phrase for irretrievable badness

The landlord called the abandoned house past redemption and sold it for the land alone.

Common collocations
  • beyond redemption
  • past redemption
Synonyms
  • hopeless

    less emphatic and can apply to both situations and people; does not require a fixed phrase structure

  • irreparable

    more formal, used chiefly for damage, harm, or loss rather than people's moral state

Antonyms
  • salvageable

    informal; opposite of 'beyond redemption' in practical contexts

Grammar Patterns

only in beyond/past redemption

Usage Note

This sense only appears in the two fixed phrases beyond redemption and past redemption. You cannot drop the preposition and say something is 'redemption' to mean irreparable. For physical objects, use beyond repair instead.

Common Mistakes

The broken vase is beyond redemption.
The broken vase is beyond repair.
Use 'beyond repair' for physical damage; 'beyond redemption' is for moral or qualitative states.

2. the Christian concept of being rescued from sin and restored to spiritual goodne

2.nounB2
Definition

the Christian concept of being rescued from sin and restored to spiritual goodness through divine power; also used more broadly for any process where a person recovers morally after serious wrongdoing

Example

In Christian teachings, redemption offers believers spiritual freedom from the weight of past sins.

redemption from [sin] — spiritual context

The novel follows a former gang member who finds redemption through helping at-risk teenagers.

Common collocations
  • find redemption
  • seek redemption
  • redemption arc
  • redemption story
  • redemption from sin
Synonyms
  • salvation

    broader term covering rescue from sin OR danger; redemption specifically carries the notion of a price paid or effort made to regain goodness

  • deliverance

    focuses on being rescued from a specific threat; less about moral transformation than about escape

  • atonement

    emphasises making amends for wrongdoing through sacrifice or reparation, rather than being saved by an outside force

Antonyms
  • damnation

    opposite in religious contexts; eternal punishment rather than salvation

Grammar Patterns

redemption + from [sin/suffering]

find/seek/achieve redemption

Usage Note

Frequently used in both religious writing and secular storytelling (e.g. redemption arc in film criticism). In secular contexts it usually implies a major transformation after serious wrongdoing, not minor improvements.

Common Mistakes

She found redemption for forgetting his birthday.
She found redemption by dedicating years to charity work.
Redemption implies a serious moral failing or grave error, not small everyday mistakes.

3. the process of converting certain financial securities into their cash value, or

3.nounC1
Definition

the process of converting certain financial securities into their cash value, or settling a borrowing when payment falls due

Example

The company announced the early redemption of its corporate bonds to reduce interest payments.

early redemption — repayment before maturity date

Investors must complete the paperwork before the redemption deadline at the end of March.

Common collocations
  • debt redemption
  • stock redemption
  • bond redemption
  • redemption date
  • redemption fee
  • redemption value
  • early redemption
  • redemption price
Synonyms
  • repayment

    broader term covering any money returned; redemption is more specific to securities and formal debts

  • buyback

    informal term for a company buying its own shares; a type of redemption

Antonyms
  • issuance

    the sale of new securities to investors

Grammar Patterns

redemption + of [bond/share/debt]

call/early redemption

Usage Note

Common in financial reports, investment contracts, and banking. The opposite process is issuance (when securities are first sold to investors). A redemption fee is a charge the investor pays when cashing out early.

Common Mistakes

I made a redemption at the grocery store.
I made a redemption of my mutual fund shares through my broker.
Redemption in finance is a technical term for securities or debts, not everyday shopping.
Idioms

beyond/past redemption

idiom

In a state that is too damaged or bad to be fixed or made better.

After the fire, the old library was damaged beyond redemption.

Maya believes her relationship with her brother is past redemption.

Word family

  • redeem
    verbB2
  • redeemed
    adjectiveB2
  • redeeming
    adjectiveB2
  • redeemer
    nounC1
  • redeemable
    adjectiveC1
  • unredeemed
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All three words relate to being saved or freed, but each emphasises a different aspect. Salvation is the broadest term: it covers rescue from sin, danger, or destruction, and can be spiritual or physical. Redemption specifically carries the image of a price paid or a cost incurred to regain something lost — the original meaning was 'buying back'. Atonement focuses on the action of making amends for wrongdoing, often through sacrifice or suffering; it is about repairing a broken relationship rather than being rescued. Deliverance emphasises escape from a specific threat or captivity. In a Christian context, believers speak of salvation as the overall state of being saved, redemption as the act of being bought back from sin through Christ's sacrifice, and atonement as the sacrifice itself that made that buying back possible. In secular storytelling, a redemption arc is about a character morally recovering, whereas deliverance would mean escaping a dangerous situation.

salvation ↗atonementdeliverance

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • beyond redemption
  • past redemption
  • seek redemption
  • find redemption
  • redemption arc
  • redemption story
  • redemption fee
  • early redemption
  • debt redemption

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Redemption comes from the Latin word redemptio, meaning 'a buying back' or 'a release'. That noun was formed from the verb redimere (to buy back), which combined re- (back) and emere (to buy, take). The word entered English in the 1300s through Old French redemption. The religious sense — being bought back from sin — appeared first in Middle English and was the dominant meaning for centuries. The financial meaning (exchanging bonds or shares for cash) emerged in the 1800s as modern securities markets developed, though it reflects the same original notion of 'buying back' something that was issued or sold.