remedy

remedy — noun

1. A treatment, medicine, or action that makes an illness, problem, or difficult si

1.nounB2
Definition

A treatment, medicine, or action that makes an illness, problem, or difficult situation go away or become less serious.

Example

Noor found a natural remedy for her headaches by drinking ginger tea every morning.

collocation: remedy for + illness

The government is looking for a remedy to the growing housing crisis in the city.

collocation: remedy to + problem

Common collocations
  • natural remedy
  • folk remedy
  • home remedy
  • effective remedy
  • remedy for
  • remedy to
  • cold remedy
  • find a remedy
Synonyms
  • cure

    Implies complete elimination of the illness or problem, whereas a remedy may only relieve symptoms.

  • treatment

    Focuses on the process of medical care rather than the specific substance or action that cures.

  • solution

    Used for problems or difficulties; less common for medical contexts.

Antonyms
  • cause

    The origin of the illness or problem, not the cure.

  • aggravation

    Something that makes the problem worse instead of better.

Usage Note

Often used in compound nouns like 'cold remedy' or 'folk remedy' to specify the type of treatment. Use 'for' with illnesses and 'to' or 'for' with problems.

Common Mistakes

I drank a remedy for my cold.
I took a remedy for my cold.
'take' is the standard verb for medicines and treatments, not 'drink'.
I need a remedy to my headache.
I need a remedy for my headache.
illnesses take the preposition 'for', not 'to'.

2. A decision by a court that orders someone to pay for harm, damage, or loss they

2.nounC1
Definition

A decision by a court that orders someone to pay for harm, damage, or loss they have caused, or that corrects a legal wrong.

Example

The court offered no remedy for the unfair dismissal, which left the worker with nothing.

passive: remedy offered by court

Tenants who have been overcharged can seek a legal remedy through the housing tribunal.

collocation: seek a legal remedy

Common collocations
  • legal remedy
  • equitable remedy
  • seek a remedy
  • have a remedy
  • grant a remedy
  • remedy at law
  • remedy for damages
  • pursue a remedy
Synonyms
  • redress

    Specifically refers to compensation for harm or grievance; more formal and narrower than remedy.

  • relief

    Legal term for what a court awards to a plaintiff; overlaps with remedy but can include injunctions.

  • compensation

    Focuses on monetary payment for loss, while remedy may also include non-monetary relief.

Antonyms
  • wrong

    The harm or injustice for which a remedy is sought.

  • injury

    The damage suffered that prompts the need for a legal remedy.

Usage Note

Most common in formal legal writing. The subject of 'have no remedy' is typically a person or group whose rights have been affected. Common in phrases like 'legal remedy', 'equitable remedy', and 'remedy at law'.

Common Mistakes

The judge gave him remedy.
The judge granted him a remedy.
'grant' is the standard legal verb, and 'remedy' is usually countable in this context.

remedy — verb

Word family

  • remedial
    adjectiveB2
  • remediable
    adjectiveC1
  • remediation
    nounC1
  • irremediable
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Remedy is more formal than fix and is used for abstract or systemic problems rather than concrete objects — you remedy a situation or an error, but you fix a broken chair. Correct is often used for minor mistakes in facts or behaviour (correct a spelling error), while remedy suggests a deeper or more structural problem. Rectify is highly formal and typically appears in official or technical writing (rectify an anomaly in the data). Resolve focuses on bringing a problem to a satisfying end rather than simply fixing the wrong — you resolve a conflict or a dispute. For daily conversation, fix or sort out sound more natural than remedy. For example: 'The IT team fixed the browser crash within an hour, but it took three months to remedy the underlying weakness in the server software.'

remedy ↗fix ↗correct ↗rectifyresolve ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • seek a remedy
  • provide a remedy
  • offer a remedy
  • find a remedy
  • have no remedy

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin remedium, made up of re- (meaning 'again') and mederi (meaning 'to heal, cure'). The word came into English through Old French remedie around the 13th century, originally referring only to medical treatments. Over time, it broadened to include any kind of correction or improvement.