Adjacent Words

Alleviate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ALLE'VIATE, v.t. [Low L. allevio; ad and levo, to raise, levis, light.]
1. To make light; but always in a figurative sense, as it is not applied to material objects. To remove in part; to lessen, mitigate, or make easier to be endured; applied to evils; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, punishment, a burden, etc.; opposed to aggravate.
2. To make less by representation; to lessen the magnitude or criminality; to extenuate; applied to moral conduct; as, to alleviate an offense. [This sense of the word is rare.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: provide physical relief, as from pain; "This pill will relieve your headaches" [syn: relieve, alleviate, palliate, assuage]
2: make easier; "you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge" [syn: facilitate, ease, alleviate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-ated; -ating) Etymology: Late Latin alleviatus, past participle of alleviare, from Latin ad- + levis light — more at light Date: 15th century relieve, lessen: as a. to make (as suffering) more bearable <her sympathy alleviated his distress> b. to partially remove or correct <measures taken to alleviate a labor shortage> Synonyms: see relieve • alleviation noun • alleviator noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. lessen or make less severe (pain, suffering, etc.). Derivatives: alleviation n. alleviative adj. alleviator n. alleviatory adj. Etymology: LL alleviare lighten f. L allevare (as AD-, levare raise)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alleviate Al*le"vi*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alleviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Alleviating.] [LL. alleviare, fr. L. ad + levis light. See Alegge, Levity.] 1. To lighten or lessen the force or weight of. [Obs.] Should no others join capable to alleviate the expense. --Evelyn. Those large bladders . . . conduce much to the alleviating of the body [of flying birds]. --Ray. 2. To lighten or lessen (physical or mental troubles); to mitigate, or make easier to be endured; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate. The calamity of the want of the sense of hearing is much alleviated by giving the use of letters. --Bp. Horsley. 3. To extenuate; to palliate. [R.] He alleviates his fault by an excuse. --Johnson. Syn: To lessen; diminish; soften; mitigate; assuage; abate; relieve; nullify; allay. Usage: To Alleviate, Mitigate, Assuage, Allay. These words have in common the idea of relief from some painful state; and being all figurative, they differ in their application, according to the image under which this idea is presented. Alleviate supposes a load which is lightened or taken off; as, to alleviate one's cares. Mitigate supposes something fierce which is made mild; as, to mitigate one's anguish. Assuage supposes something violent which is quieted; as, to assuage one's sorrow. Allay supposes something previously excited, but now brought down; as, to allay one's suffering or one's thirst. To alleviate the distresses of life; to mitigate the fierceness of passion or the violence of grief; to assuage angry feeling; to allay wounded sensibility.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(alleviates, alleviating, alleviated) If you alleviate pain, suffering, or an unpleasant condition, you make it less intense or severe. (FORMAL) Nowadays, a great deal can be done to alleviate back pain. = ease ? aggravate VERB: V n • alleviation Their energies were focussed on the alleviation of the refugees' misery. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Lighten, mitigate, assuage, moderate, soothe, soften, mollify, quiet, still, quell, abate, lessen, diminish, relieve, palliate, ease, dull, blunt. See allay.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, allay, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, bate, be light, benumb, blunt, chasten, constrain, control, cure, cushion, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, dilute, diminish, disburden, disencumber, downplay, dull, ease, ease matters, extenuate, foment, give relief, have little weight, keep within bounds, kick the beam, lay, lenify, lessen, lighten, lull, make light, make lighter, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obtund, off-load, pad, palliate, play down, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, reduce, reduce the temperature, reduce weight, relieve, remedy, remit, restrain, salve, slacken, slake, slow down, smother, sober, sober down, soften, soothe, stifle, stupe, subdue, suppress, tame, temper, tone down, tune down, unballast, unburden, underplay, unlade, unload, water down, weaken, weigh lightly