1
Core meaning
A temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
Example
The court granted the prisoner a temporary reprieve.
reprieve
/rɪˈpriːv/ · rih-PREEVnoun
A temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
Use reprieve to express this relationship precisely: a temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
What reprieve Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
Unexpected rain offered farmers a reprieve from the drought.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
The extension is only a reprieve, not a permanent solution.
Use reprieve Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The court granted the prisoner a temporary reprieve.
Unexpected rain offered farmers a reprieve from the drought.
The extension is only a reprieve, not a permanent solution.
Precision Matters
Reprieve overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
reprieve
vs.Means a temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
condone
Means accept, excuse, or allow behaviour that is considered wrong, often by failing to condemn or prevent it.
reprieve
vs.Means a temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
suppress
Means prevent, restrain, stop, or keep something from being expressed, revealed, or developing.
reprieve
vs.Means a temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
condemn
Means express strong disapproval of something as wrong, harmful, or unacceptable; sometimes formally sentence someone to punishment.
reprieve
vs.Means a temporary cancellation, postponement, or relief from punishment, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
assuage
Means make an unpleasant feeling, fear, pain, or concern less intense; soothe or relieve it.
Test reprieve in Context
The punishment is formally delayed rather than forgiven permanently.
1
The governor postponed the execution for thirty days, granting the prisoner a temporary ___.