Respite — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

a pause from doing something (as work)

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɹˈɛspɪt/

🇬🇧British English

/ɹˈɛspaɪt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɹˈɛspaɪt/

2 syllables Say it as /ɹˈɛspɪt/.

Examples

we took a 10-minute break
he took time out to recuperate
people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

rest period reprieve recess suspension rest abatement hiatus relief time out break

Parts of Speech

noun	a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
noun	a pause from doing something (as work) “we took a 10-minute break”
noun	an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
noun	a pause for relaxation “people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests”
noun	the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
verb	postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution

Word Forms

reprieve	verb	relieve temporarily
recess	verb	close at the end of a session
break	verb	cease an action temporarily
suspend	verb	stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it
abate	verb	become less in amount or intensity
rest	verb	give a rest to
respite	verb	postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution
reprieve	noun	the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
respite	noun	the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Aufschub

eine (vorübergehende) Linderung von Schaden oder Unbehagen

🇫🇷French

répit

un soulagement (temporaire) d'un préjudice ou d'un inconfort

🇪🇸Spanish

respiro

un alivio (temporal) de un daño o malestar

🇮🇹Italian

tregua

un sollievo (temporaneo) da un danno o da un disagio

🇳🇱Dutch

uitstel

een (tijdelijke) verlichting van schade of ongemak

🇵🇹Portuguese

descanso

um alívio (temporário) de dano ou desconforto

🇷🇺Russian

передышка

(временное) облегчение вреда или дискомфорта

India

🇮🇳Hindi

मोहलत

हानि या असुविधा से (अस्थायी) राहत

🇧🇩Bengali

অবকাশ

ক্ষতি বা অস্বস্তি থেকে একটি (অস্থায়ী) উপশম

🇮🇳Tamil

ஓய்வு

தீங்கு அல்லது அசௌகரியத்தில் இருந்து ஒரு (தற்காலிக) நிவாரணம்

🇮🇳Telugu

విశ్రాంతి

హాని లేదా అసౌకర్యం నుండి (తాత్కాలిక) ఉపశమనం

🇮🇳Marathi

विश्रांती

हानी किंवा अस्वस्थतेपासून (तात्पुरती) आराम

🇮🇳Gujarati

રાહત

નુકસાન અથવા અગવડતામાંથી (અસ્થાયી) રાહત

🇮🇳Kannada

ಬಿಡುವು

ಹಾನಿ ಅಥವಾ ಅಸ್ವಸ್ಥತೆಯಿಂದ (ತಾತ್ಕಾಲಿಕ) ಪರಿಹಾರ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിശ്രമം

ഒരു (താൽക്കാലിക) ഉപദ്രവത്തിൽ നിന്നോ അസ്വസ്ഥതയിൽ നിന്നോ ഉള്ള ആശ്വാസം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਰਾਹਤ

ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਬੇਅਰਾਮੀ ਤੋਂ ਇੱਕ (ਅਸਥਾਈ) ਰਾਹਤ

🇵🇰Urdu

مہلت

نقصان یا تکلیف سے (عارضی) راحت

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

喘息

（暂时）缓解伤害或不适

🇯🇵Japanese

休息

危害や不快感からの（一時的な）軽減

🇰🇷Korean

유예

해로움이나 불편함으로부터의 (일시적인) 구제

🇻🇳Vietnamese

thời gian nghỉ ngơi

sự giảm bớt (tạm thời) khỏi tác hại hoặc sự khó chịu

🇹🇭Thai

ผ่อนปรน

การบรรเทา (ชั่วคราว) จากอันตรายหรือความรู้สึกไม่สบาย

🇮🇩Indonesian

tangguh

bantuan (sementara) dari bahaya atau ketidaknyamanan

🇵🇭Filipino

pahinga

isang (pansamantalang) kaluwagan mula sa pinsala o kakulangan sa ginhawa

🇲🇾Malay

tangguh

pelepasan (sementara) daripada bahaya atau ketidakselesaan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

فترة راحة

راحة (مؤقتة) من الأذى أو الانزعاج

🇮🇷Persian

مهلت دادن

تسکین (موقت) آسیب یا ناراحتی

🇹🇷Turkish

mola

zarar veya rahatsızlıktan (geçici) bir rahatlama

🇮🇱Hebrew

הֲפוּגָה

הקלה (זמנית) מנזק או אי נוחות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'respite'?

The primary meaning of 'respite' is 'a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'respite' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'respite' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'respite' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'respite' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'respite' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'respite' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'respite' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'respite' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'respite' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'respite' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted