Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Alleviate
Al-le′vi-ate
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Alleviated
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Alleviating
.] 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
; – opposed to alleviate
sorrow, pain, care, etc. 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.
– 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
. Mitigate supposes something fierce which is made mild; alleviate
one’s caresas, to
. Assuage supposes something violent which is quieted; mitigate
one's anguishas, to
. Allay supposes something previously excited, but now brought down; assuage
one's sorrowas, to
. 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. allay
one's suffering or one's thirstWebster 1828 Edition
Alleviate
ALLE'VIATE
,Verb.
T.
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, &c.; 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.]Definition 2024
alleviate
alleviate
English
Verb
alleviate (third-person singular simple present alleviates, present participle alleviating, simple past and past participle alleviated)
- (transitive) To make less severe, as a pain or difficulty.
- Alcohol is often a cheap tool to alleviate the stress of a hard day.
Usage notes
Particularly used of pain or difficulty, with connotations of “lightening a load”.
Synonyms
Related terms
Related terms
Translations
make less severe
|
|