respite
gb/ɹˈɛspɪt/ us/ɹˈɛspɪt/
B2
English
~ 9900
fellélegzés, rövid pihenő, enyhülés, rövid szünet, végrehajtási haladék, haladék, átmenetileg mentesít, egy időre enyhít
NOUN
B2
1
fellélegzés
B2
rövid pihenő
A2
Usage pattern:
a respite from [something difficult]
The long weekend was a welcome respite from her demanding job.
A hosszú hétvége üdítő fellélegzés volt a megterhelő munkája után.
After hours of negotiations, they took a brief respite to eat and clear their heads.
Órákig tartó tárgyalás után tartottak egy rövid pihenőt, hogy egyenek és kitisztuljon a fejük.
For many caregivers, even an afternoon off can provide much-needed respite.
Meditation offers him a daily respite from anxiety and negative thoughts.
The quiet café became her only respite from the noise of the city.
Learner examples
The holiday gave him a short respite from work.
Az ünnep rövid fellélegzést adott neki a munka alól.
She needs a little respite from the stress at home.
Szüksége van egy kis fellélegzésre az otthoni stressz alól.
A hot bath is a welcome respite at the end of the day.
The lunch break is a respite in a long school day.
This park is a peaceful respite from the busy street.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes pronounce "respite" like "re-spite" (/riːˈspaɪt/), but the standard pronunciation is /ˈres-pɪt/. They may also use "rest" where a more formal word like "respite" would be natural in writing.
Meaning
short rest from something hard
Collocations
brief respite
|welcome respite
|a moment's respite
|respite from work
|respite from pain
Synonyms
break (More general and informal; can be very short or long and not always after hardship.)
|
relief (Focuses more on the feeling of comfort than on the time period itself.)
Antonyms
strain (Emphasizes continuous stress or pressure instead of a pause from it.)
Themes
daily life
|work
|health
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A short time when you can rest or feel better after something hard or stressful.
A short period of rest or relief from something difficult, unpleasant, or tiring.
NOUN
B2
2
enyhülés
B2
rövid szünet
A2
Usage pattern:
a respite in/from [something unpleasant]
The storm showed no sign of giving us any respite from the heavy rain.
A viharnak semmi jele nem volt arra, hogy akár egy kis enyhülést is hozna a szakadó esőben.
There was a brief respite in the fighting before the next attack began.
Rövid szünet állt be a harcokban, mielőtt megkezdődött a következő támadás.
The cool morning air offered a short respite from the summer heat.
After a few months of respite, the problem returned even worse than before.
The city enjoyed a rare respite from traffic during the holiday.
Learner examples
We hoped for a respite from the rain, but it kept falling.
Azt reméltük, lesz egy kis enyhülés az esőben, de csak tovább esett.
There was a short respite in the noise, and then the music started again.
Rövid szünet állt be a zajban, aztán újra elindult a zene.
The village had a brief respite from war before new fighting began.
The clouds gave us a small respite from the hot sun.
After some respite, the project problems came back.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense with a permanent end. A "respite" is only a temporary stop; the unpleasant thing is expected to continue later.
Meaning
short pause in something unpleasant
Collocations
respite from the rain
|brief respite in the fighting
|respite from the heat
|a short respite between storms
|respite in hostilities
Synonyms
lull (Often used for a quiet or calm period during ongoing noise, activity, or conflict.)
|
pause (More general and common; does not always imply that what is paused is unpleasant.)
Antonyms
resumption (Describes the unpleasant activity starting again after a pause.)
Themes
weather
|conflict
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A short time when something bad or hard stops, but then starts again later.
A short pause or temporary stop in something unpleasant or difficult, after which it continues again.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
3
haladék
B2
Usage pattern:
a respite from [punishment]
The governor granted a last-minute respite from execution.
A kormányzó az utolsó pillanatban végrehajtási haladékot adott az elítéltnek.
Lawyers filed an urgent motion seeking a respite of the death sentence.
Az ügyvédek sürgős beadványt nyújtottak be, hogy haladékot kérjenek a halálos ítélet végrehajtására.
The respite gave the court more time to consider new evidence in the case.
Prisoners rarely receive a respite once all appeals are exhausted.
The judge refused to grant a respite, and the punishment went ahead as planned.
Learner examples
The man asked for a respite from his death sentence.
A férfi haladékot kért a halálos ítélete végrehajtására.
The court gave a short respite before the punishment.
A bíróság rövid végrehajtási haladékot adott.
Her lawyer hoped the governor would give a respite.
The respite delayed the execution for thirty days.
They were sad when the request for a respite was denied.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this legal sense with the general idea of "rest". Here, the focus is on an official delay of punishment, not on someone relaxing.
Meaning
official delay of punishment
Collocations
grant a respite
|last-minute respite
|respite from execution
|appeal for a respite
|temporary respite of the sentence
Synonyms
reprieve (Very close in meaning in legal contexts; more commonly used today for delaying or cancelling a punishment.)
Antonyms
execution (Refers to actually carrying out a death sentence, the opposite of delaying it.)
Themes
law
|crime
Definition
An official order to wait before giving a punishment, especially before killing a prisoner.
An official delay or temporary suspension of a punishment, especially the carrying out of a death sentence.
VERB
C2
FORMAL
4
Usage pattern:
to respite [someone] from [something difficult]
The new policy briefly respited the team from their weekend shifts.
Az új szabályzat rövid időre mentesítette a csapatot a hétvégi műszakok alól.
Strong painkillers respited her from the worst of the suffering.
Az erős fájdalomcsillapítók egy időre enyhítették a legsúlyosabb szenvedését.
The ceasefire respited civilians from daily shelling, if only for a few days.
Learner examples
The medicine respited him from the pain for a short time.
A gyógyszer rövid időre enyhítette a fájdalmát.
The manager respited the staff from night work for one week.
A vezető egy hétre mentesítette a dolgozókat az éjszakai munka alól.
The break respited the students from their heavy study schedule.
Common mistake:
Learners almost never need this verb form; "respite" is used mainly as a noun. In most cases, use verbs like "give relief to" or "give a break to" instead of the verb "respite".
Meaning
to give brief relief
Collocations
respite someone from duty
|respite the workers from their tasks
|respite him from constant pain
Synonyms
relieve (More common; can refer to many types of help, not only a short break.)
Antonyms
burden (To place a heavy or difficult load on someone instead of giving them a break.)
Themes
work
|law
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To allow a person or thing to stop something hard for a short time and rest.
To give someone or something a short period of relief or rest from something difficult, unpleasant, or painful.
Grammar
Dictionary form
respite
IPA
GB/ɹˈɛspɪt/
US/ɹˈɛspɪt/
Syllables & stress
res - pite (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (res)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: respite
- Plural: respite, respites
Word family
Expressions
respite care
1/ɹˈɛspɪt kˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
short-term care to relieve caregivers
Short-term care for a sick, old, or disabled person so that the main family caregiver can rest or take time off.
Examples
- The charity offers free respite care for families of children with severe disabilities.
- They arranged respite care so that her husband could take a week-long holiday.
- Respite care can prevent caregiver burnout by providing regular breaks.
without respite
1/wɪðˈaʊt ɹˈɛspɪt/
fixed phrase
formal
continuously, with no break
All the time, with no pause or rest.
Examples
- The small team worked without respite to meet the deadline.
- Rain fell without respite for three days and nights.
- She was under pressure without respite during the entire trial.