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v. cor·rect·ed, cor·rect·ing, cor·rects v.tr. 1. a. To make or put right: correct a mistake; correct a misunderstanding. b. To remove the errors or mistakes from: corrected her previous testimony. c. To indicate or mark the errors in: correct an exam. 2. a. To speak to or communicate with (someone) in order to point out a mistake or error. b. To scold or punish so as to improve or reform. 3. To remedy or counteract (a defect, for example): The new glasses corrected his blurry vision. 4. To adjust so as to meet a required standard or condition: correct the wheel alignment on a car. v.intr. 1. To make corrections. 2. To make adjustments; compensate: correcting for the effects of air resistance. adj. 1. Free from error or fault; true or accurate. 2. Conforming to standards; proper: correct behavior. [Middle English correcten, from Latin corrigere, corrēct- : com-, intensive pref.; see COM- + regere, to rule; see reg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] cor·recta·ble, cor·recti·ble adj. cor·rectly adv. cor·rectness n. cor·rector n. Synonyms: correct, rectify, remedy, redress, revise, amend These verbs mean to make right what is wrong. Correct refers to eliminating faults, errors, or defects: I corrected the spelling mistakes. The new design corrected the flaws in the earlier version. Rectify stresses the idea of bringing something into conformity with a standard of what is right: "It is dishonest to claim that we can rectify racial injustice without immediate cost" (Mari J. Matsuda). Remedy involves removing or counteracting something considered a cause of harm, damage, or discontent: He took courses to remedy his abysmal ignorance. Redress refers to setting right something considered immoral or unethical and usually involves some kind of recompense: "They said he had done very little to redress the abuses that the army had committed against the civilian population" (Daniel Wilkinson). Revise suggests change that results from careful reconsideration: The agency revised its safety recommendations in view of the new findings. Amend implies improvement through alteration or correction: "Whenever [the people] shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it" (Abraham Lincoln). |
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