redemption
Restoration through atonement
Redemption is the act of recovering, saving, or being saved from something bad.
In religion, redemption is deliverance from sin: Christ's redemption of humanity.
A coupon or voucher is redeemed when exchanged for its value.
A person achieves redemption by making amends for past wrongs: After years of addiction, he found redemption through helping others.
A redemption arc traces a character's journey from wrongdoing to moral restoration.
Giving back what's owed
- voucherRedeemable certificate for value
- couponCertificate for reduced price
- trade-inCredited used goods
- cash-inConvert to money
exchange · settlement · clearance · payoff · maturity · bond · refund · reclaim
Effortless beauty of motion
- saviorOne who rescues another
- messiahProphesied liberator figure
- resurrectionRevival from death
- heavenSky or bliss
eternity · faith · sanctification · rebirth · afterlife · paradise · righteousness · beatification
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- expiationRedress for offense
- reparationCompensation for injury done
amends · remorse · guilt · confession · sacrifice · penitence · compunction · propitiation
Rescue from bondage
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- releaseTo let go
- rescueSave from harm
manumission · exodus · captivity · bondage · slavery · chains · oppression · liberation
Formal clearing of guilt
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
exoneration · amnesty · acquittal · leniency · indulgence · compassion · reprieve · vindication
Recovery from injury/addiction
- healingRestoration of health
- renewalMaking current again
- restorationReturning something to condition
- comebackRecovery after decline
revival · transformation · turnaround · second-chance · overcoming · sobriety · clean · rebuilding
repayment
Giving back what's owed
- voucherRedeemable certificate for value
- couponCertificate for reduced price
- trade-inCredited used goods
cash-in · exchange · settlement · clearance · payoff · maturity · bond · refund · reclaim · payout
grace
Effortless beauty of motion
- saviorOne who rescues another
- messiahProphesied liberator figure
- resurrectionRevival from death
heaven · eternity · faith · sanctification · rebirth · afterlife · paradise · righteousness · beatification · crucifixion
penance
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- expiationRedress for offense
reparation · amends · remorse · guilt · confession · sacrifice · penitence · compunction · propitiation · restitution
deliverance
Rescue from bondage
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- releaseTo let go
rescue · manumission · exodus · captivity · bondage · slavery · chains · oppression · liberation · ransom
absolution
Formal clearing of guilt
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
clemency · exoneration · amnesty · acquittal · leniency · indulgence · compassion · reprieve · vindication · second-chance
rehabilitation
Recovery from injury/addiction
- healingRestoration of health
- renewalMaking current again
- restorationReturning something to condition
comeback · revival · transformation · turnaround · second-chance · overcoming · sobriety · clean · rebuilding · rock-bottom
- literary themesheroism, hero's journey, ennui, social realism, morals
- theologyecclesiology, eschatology, Christology, God, dogmatics
- emotional changehealing, heartbreak, falling in love, grief, recovery
- ethical consequencesguilt, shame, regret, remorse, blame
- forgivenessforgiveness of sins, absolve, mercy, grace, pardon
- loyalty programspoints, rewards points, loyalty card, punch cards, points system
redemptiondamnation
Eternal punishment decree
condemnation · perdition · eternal punishment · hellfire · reprobation
redemptioncorruption
Dishonest abuse of power
degradation · downfall · ruin · fall from grace · moral collapse
redemptioncaptivity
State of being confined
imprisonment · bondage · enslavement · incarceration · confinement
- redemption arcNarrative journey toward atonement
- beyond redemptionUnable to be saved
- redemption storiesNarratives about overcoming past wrongs
- spiritual redemptionSoul restored to grace
- redemption storyNarrative of moral recovery
- The Shawshank Redemption
redemptive, redemptions, redemptively, redemption arc, redemption arcs