- Today's Word
Redress
rih-DRESS
Definition
(verb) To correct, remedy, or set right a wrongdoing or unfair situation.
Example
The company offered refunds to redress the inconvenience caused by the unexpected outage.
Word Origin
Redress comes from Old French redrecier, meaning “to straighten or put upright again.” Over time, the word came to describe correcting not only physical things but unfair situations, injustices, and harms that require restoration or repair.
Fun Fact
In many countries, the idea of “redress” is built directly into their legal systems. Consumer protection laws, for example, guarantee that if a product fails or a service causes harm, citizens have the right to seek redress through refunds, repairs, or compensation. Economists even study redress as part of fairness theory, exploring how people feel wrongs must be corrected before trust can be rebuilt.
