Reprieve: meaning, example and synonyms
Reprieven. A temporary relief from something unpleasant, or a delay of a punishment.
Example
A week of cool rain offered farmers a brief reprieve from the drought, though forecasters warned that the dry spell would soon return.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- respite, relief, postponement, break
- Antonyms
- continuation, intensification, escalation, aggravation
- Memory tip
- re- ("back") + prieve ("take"): taken back from trouble for a while.
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Check yourself: Reprieve in context
The factory, scheduled to close in March, won a six-month ______ when a buyer expressed interest in reopening its assembly line.
Answer: reprieve. A six-month delay of a closing is a temporary relief or postponement. A detractor is a critic; nuance and tranquility don't describe a delay.
Hikers found a brief ______ from the desert heat in the narrow canyon, where the walls blocked the afternoon sun.
Answer: reprieve. Shade in the canyon gives temporary relief from the heat. Efficacy, conjecture and nuance don't mean relief.