Meaning & use
relieved
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Feeling calm and glad because something worrying has ended or turned out better than feared.
Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb or a that-clause: relieved to hear it; relieved that it was over.
Patterns
- relieved to do something
- relieved that something happens
- relieved at something
I was relieved to find my passport in the side pocket.
She looked relieved that the exam was finally over.
The parents were relieved at the good news from the doctor.
Word forms
| comparative | more relieved |
|---|---|
| superlative | most relieved |
Common combinations
- feel relieved
- I felt relieved once the plane landed.
- greatly relieved
- He was greatly relieved to hear from her.
- relieved to hear
- We were relieved to hear you arrived safely.
- look relieved
- The driver looked relieved when the rain stopped.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reassured
- Reassured stresses that someone has been given comfort, often by another person, rather than simply feeling the worry lift.
- thankful
- Thankful focuses on gratitude, while relieved focuses on the loss of worry.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: relieved or relived?
relieved vs relived
Relived is the past of relive, meaning to experience again in memory; relieved is about feeling relief.
Practice
We were all ___ to learn that the missing hikers had been found.
Choose one answer.
The adjective relieved describes the feeling. Relived is a different word meaning experienced again, and relieving or relief do not fit the grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relieved”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.