What does redeeming mean?
Redeeming is an adjective for something good that compensates for faults, disappointments, or unpleasant qualities. A redeeming feature might be someone’s kindness in an otherwise difficult situation, or a memorable performance within a disappointing production. The word is also used of a person’s good qualities when they partly offset the effect of past mistakes or negative behavior. Its usual implication is that the positive element is valuable but does not erase everything negative. In that sense, “redeeming” is often milder than “transformative” and more specific than simply “good”: it describes a benefit that provides balance or compensation. The word is common in discussion of people, films, books, performances, and experiences, where one positive aspect may distinguish an otherwise flawed subject.
adjectiveRedeeming means that a quality, feature, or experience compensates for faults or makes someone or something seem better. It can also describe a person as having good qualities that outweigh their past mistakes.
- Making someone or something seem better by compensating for faults or negative features.
- Having good qualities that outweigh a person’s mistakes or past behavior.
"Her patience and kindness were the redeeming features of an otherwise difficult day."
"A sense of humor was the child’s most redeeming quality."
"The exhibition was a redeeming feature of an otherwise disappointing year."
One person’s redeeming quality can change the story we tell about an entire person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does redeeming come from?
Redeeming is derived from the English verb redeem, which comes from Old English rǣdan, meaning to advise or counsel. In Middle English, redeem developed the sense of buying back or recovering something, eventually including the idea of freeing someone by payment or restoring someone to a better condition. The modern adjective redeeming developed from this history of repayment, restoration, and moral improvement.
Related word forms
How redeeming is actually used
Generally positive but often used in contexts involving faults, mistakes, failures, or other negative qualities. It is particularly common in the expression “redeeming feature.”
Easily confused with redeeming
Redeemable describes something that can be redeemed, such as a voucher or bond, while redeeming describes a quality or feature that offsets faults or brings improvement.
Redeeming commonly describes a beneficial quality or experience, whereas redemptive more often describes something involving redemption or moral restoration.