Meaning & use

alleviate

verb·Academic

To make pain, suffering, or a problem less severe, though not necessarily to remove it entirely.

See it in a sentence

The medication helped alleviate her headache within about thirty minutes.

New funding was approved to help alleviate poverty in the region.

A note on using this word

Alleviate implies partial relief rather than a complete cure or solution.

Words with a similar meaning

relieveeaselessen

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

worsenaggravate

Make it your own

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