remedial

adjective

re·​me·​di·​al ri-ˈmē-dē-əl How to pronounce remedial (audio)
Synonyms of remedial
1
: intended as a remedy
2
: concerned with the correction of faulty study habits and the raising of a pupil's general competence
remedial reading courses
also : receiving or requiring remedial instruction
remedial students
remedially
ri-ˈmē-dē-ə-lē How to pronounce remedial (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of remedial

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of remedial in a Sentence

Officials have pledged remedial action to repair damaged bridges. Thirty percent of the new students need remedial classes in math. He's taking a course in remedial reading.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Plants are indeed more than remedial smellers. — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026 Lor, an officer of 20 years, had to do a two-week ride-along with a training office, a week of remedial training and a month of unpaid leave. — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 5 June 2026 Around 43% of CPS students going to state community colleges are enrolled in remedial courses. — Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2026 The suit alleges she was informed the officer resisted calls to attend remedial training going so far as to tell his fellow officers that Internal Affairs could open up an insubordination case on him. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for remedial

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of remedial was in 1651

Rhymes for remedial

See All Rhymes for remedial

Browse Nearby Words

remediable
remedial
remedial loan society
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Remedial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remedial. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

remedial

adjective
re·​me·​di·​al ri-ˈmēd-ē-əl How to pronounce remedial (audio)
: intended to make something better
remedial measures
remedial classes

Medical Definition

remedial

adjective
re·​me·​di·​al ri-ˈmēd-ē-əl How to pronounce remedial (audio)
: affording a remedy : intended as a remedy
remedial surgery
remedially
-ē How to pronounce remedial (audio)
adverb

Legal Definition

remedial

adjective
re·​me·​di·​al ri-ˈmē-dē-əl How to pronounce remedial (audio)
1
a
: intended as or providing a remedy
b
: concerned with the correction, removal, or abatement of an evil, defect, or disease
remedial treatment of an inmate to improve behavior
a workers' compensation claimant who received remedial attention from a doctor
a remedial statute correcting the previous law
2
: of, relating to, or being a law enacted for the purpose of providing a method of enforcing an already existing substantive right : procedural

More from Merriam-Webster on remedial

Nglish: Translation of remedial for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All