palliative
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of palliative
From the French word palliatif, dating back to 1535–45. See palliate, -ive
Explanation
That which is palliative relieves and soothes, but isn’t expected to cure. A heating pack is a commonly employed palliative for temporarily reducing the pain of strained muscles. From the French palliatif, which in turn came from the Middle Latin palliates, palliative was first recorded as an adjective in the 1540’s, and then later as a noun in 1724. To palliate is to alleviate without curing, so it makes sense that a palliative is the agent for this type of relief. “Life as we find it, is too hard for us: it brings us too many pains, disappointments and impossible tasks,” said the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. “In order to bear it, we cannot dispense with palliative measures…”
Vocabulary lists containing palliative
The Kite Runner
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Educated
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100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This is not a red versus blue issue,” said Sheila Clark, president and chief executive of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Assn.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
And the Association of Palliative Medicine has long argued there is insufficient investment in end-of-life care, which means people struggle to get support.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
After she was banned by the Department of Social Services, Public Health records listed Barrientos as the administrator for Accord Hospice and Palliative Care in West Covina.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025
He had followed his father, and three generations before him, into medicine and was working at Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, where he was the chief medical officer and conducted research on end-of-life visions.
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2024
Palliative treatment does not afford a permanent cure.
From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
