Definitions
- Referring to the process of regaining health after an illness or injury. - Talking about the retrieval of something that was lost or stolen. - Describing the act of returning to a previous state or condition.
- Referring to the act of making up for a mistake or wrongdoing. - Talking about the exchange of something for a reward or benefit. - Describing the act of restoring value or worth to something that was previously devalued or discredited.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words involve the idea of restoring something to its previous state or value.
- 2Both words can be used in a figurative sense to refer to non-physical concepts such as reputation or trust.
- 3Both words imply a positive outcome or result.
What is the difference?
- 1Focus: Recover focuses on regaining something that was lost or returning to a previous state, while redeem focuses on making up for a mistake or restoring value.
- 2Usage: Recover is more commonly used in the context of physical health or retrieving lost items, while redeem is more commonly used in the context of moral or ethical redemption.
- 3Direction: Recover implies a return to a previous state, while redeem implies moving forward towards a better state.
- 4Connotation: Recover has a neutral connotation, while redeem has a positive connotation.
- 5Scope: Recover is more limited in scope, while redeem has a broader range of applications.
What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
Example
It took her a few weeks to recover from the flu. [recover: verb]
Example
The police were able to recover the stolen jewelry. [recover: verb]
Example
The economy is slowly recovering from the recession. [recovering: gerund or present participle]
Example
He tried to redeem himself by apologizing for his behavior. [redeem: verb]
Example
I redeemed my loyalty points for a free hotel stay. [redeemed: past tense]
Example
The company's new marketing campaign helped to redeem their tarnished reputation. [redeeming: gerund or present participle]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Recover is more commonly used than redeem in everyday language, especially in the context of physical health or retrieving lost items. Redeem is less common but has a broader range of applications.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between recover and redeem?
Redeem is generally considered more formal than recover, as it is often used in the context of moral or ethical redemption.
Remember this!
Recover and redeem are both verbs that involve restoring something to its previous state or value. However, recover is typically used in the context of physical health or retrieving lost items, while redeem is more commonly used in the context of moral or ethical redemption. Recover implies a return to a previous state, while redeem implies moving forward towards a better state.
