respite

/ˈrɛspət/
/ˈrʌspaɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: respited; respites; respiting

A respite is a break from something that's difficult or unpleasant. If you're cramming for exams, take an occasional walk to give yourself a respite from the intensity.

Respite may look like it rhymes with despite, but this word has a stress on its first syllable (RES-pit). It comes from the Latin word respectus, meaning refuge, but we almost always use respite to describe a time, not a place, of relief. If you've been fighting with your partner, a visit from a friend might offer a brief respite from the argument, but the fight will pick up again when she leaves.

Definitions of respite
  1. noun
    a pause from doing something (as work)
    synonyms: break, recess, time out
    see moresee less
    types:
    spring break
    a week or more of recess during the spring term at school
    recess
    a break in the school day for play or relaxation
    type of:
    pause
    temporary inactivity
  2. noun
    a pause for relaxation
    synonyms: relief, rest, rest period
    see moresee less
    types:
    breath, breather, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time
    a short respite
    type of:
    break, intermission, interruption, pause, suspension
    a time during which something is temporarily stopped or delayed
  3. noun
    a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
    synonyms: reprieve
    see moresee less
    type of:
    ease, relief
    the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress)
  4. noun
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    synonyms: abatement, hiatus, reprieve, suspension
    see moresee less
    types:
    defervescence
    abatement of a fever as indicated by a reduction in body temperature
    remission, remittal, subsidence
    an abatement in intensity or degree (as in the manifestations of a disease)
    resolution
    the subsidence of swelling or other signs of inflammation (especially in a lung)
    type of:
    break
    some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
  5. noun
    the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
    synonyms: reprieve
    see moresee less
    type of:
    clemency, mercifulness, mercy
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
  6. verb
    postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution
    synonyms: reprieve
    see moresee less
    type of:
    defer, hold over, postpone, prorogue, put off, put over, remit, set back, shelve, table
    hold back to a later time
Pronunciation
US
/ˈrɛspət/
UK
/ˈrʌspaɪt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘respite'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing respite

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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

The speaker of this poem, who is mourning a lost love, is visited in the night by a raven who speaks a single word: "Nevermore." Read the full text here. Click here to explore other works by Edgar Allan Poe.

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List 4

Learn these essential words that you'll encounter in literature, textbooks, class discussions, and more.

"The Raven"

Nevermore will you think of a raven the same way again after reading Edgar Allan Poe's poem. Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 4's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, maggie and milly and molly and may, Mother to Son, Haikus, It Happened in Montgomery, Monologues, The Raven, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Casey at the Bat, Outlaws and Highwaymen, The Highwayman, We Wear the Mask, Twelfth Night

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