What does remission mean?
Remission is a versatile noun whose most common modern use is medical: it refers to a period in which the symptoms or severity of a disease diminish, either partially or completely. A patient in remission may still require monitoring, so the term does not necessarily mean a permanent cure. The word can also describe forgiveness for wrongdoing, release from a debt or other obligation, and a reduction in a prison sentence. These meanings share the idea of something being sent back, released, or made less severe. In medical writing, phrases such as “in remission,” “complete remission,” and “partial remission” are common. In legal, religious, and financial contexts, remission tends to sound formal and can suggest that a punishment, obligation, or fault has been forgiven, settled, or mitigated. Its range makes it useful beyond medicine, while the distinction between remission and cure remains important.
nounA temporary or complete reduction in the symptoms or severity of a disease. It can also mean the act of forgiving an offense, releasing someone from a debt or obligation, or reducing the length of a sentence.
- A reduction or temporary cessation of the symptoms or severity of a disease.
- The act of forgiving or pardoning an offense or wrongdoing.
- The release from an obligation, debt, or payment requirement.
- A reduction in the length or severity of a sentence or punishment.
"After several months of treatment, her illness entered remission and the symptoms gradually disappeared."
"Her cancer remains in remission, although her doctors continue to monitor her health."
"The court granted the prisoner a remission of sentence after reviewing the new evidence."
The plural is used for separate periods of improvement or instances of forgiveness, release, or sentence reduction.
"The disease has had several remissions, but it has returned each time."
Remission can describe a medical improvement, a legal pardon, or the cancellation of a debt—an unusually wide range for one word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remission come from?
Remission comes through English from Latin remissionem, a noun formed from remittere, meaning “to send back,” “release,” or “forgive.” The underlying Latin root remittere was also the source of English words such as remit, remittance, and remissible. In medicine, the word developed the sense of a decrease or cessation of disease symptoms, while in law and religion it continued to refer to forgiveness or release from an obligation.
How remission is actually used
In medicine, remission generally means that a disease's signs and symptoms have diminished or disappeared; it does not always mean that the disease has been permanently cured. The legal, religious, and financial senses are relatively formal.