alleviate
Americanverb (used with object)
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alleviates,
present (3rd person singular)
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alleviated,
past participle, past
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alleviating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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alleviationnoun
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alleviatornoun
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alleviativeadjective
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unalleviatedadjective
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unalleviatingadjective
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unalleviatedlyadverb
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unalleviatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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alleviatesimple
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alleviatessimple
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have alleviatedperfect
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has alleviatedperfect
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am alleviatingprogressive
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are alleviatingprogressive
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is alleviatingprogressive
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have been alleviatingperfect progressive
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has been alleviatingperfect progressive
Past
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alleviatedsimple
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had alleviatedperfect
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was alleviatingprogressive
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were alleviatingprogressive
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had been alleviatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of alleviate
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English alleviaten, from Late Latin alleviātus “lightened,” past participle of alleviāre “to lighten, relieve,” from al- al- + levi(s) “light in weight” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
Do all these words make your head ache? If so, take an aspirin to alleviate, or relieve, your pain. The verb, alleviate, stems from the Latin root, levis "light" and is related to modern English words such as elevator and levitate — both words implying a lightening of one's load. Alleviate also has this sense of lightening a burden such as physical pain or emotional duress. You can take medicine to alleviate symptoms or do exercise to alleviate stress. Or if you want a bigger challenge: try alleviating traffic congestion or world hunger.
Vocabulary lists containing alleviate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Grade 9, List 2
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Farewell to Manzanar
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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.
See Examples For:
To alleviate drought though, months of above-average rainfall is needed.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
That Nvidia is mostly using funding from third parties to invest in AI factories, or large-scale data centers, “should arguably alleviate circularity concerns,” Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore said in a note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
More than 100 people filled the auditorium at the air district’s headquarters in Diamond Bar to call on the hearing board to adopt these measures and help alleviate the nauseating smells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“They’re really intended to either alleviate some of the capacity constraints in the gas station that exists at the warehouse today or we just can’t get a gas station on the same premises,” Millerchip said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The lights inside were bright, but they did little to alleviate the blackness of the encroaching forest.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
It alleviates some of the burden of caring for their aging parents, and it ensures that some level of care will be available as they themselves age.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
She said she thinks most students support the new policy because it alleviates pressure to report classmates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
The deal alleviates concerns about rivals impacting Nvidia’s AI chip market share.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Ardell was already working with Opportunity International, a global nonprofit that alleviates generational poverty by microfinancing community projects both in Southern California and abroad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2025
Usually, a ten-day antibiotic treatment alleviates the symptoms, or a fast in-office medical procedure can release the pressure.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Vivas said that while the return of nearly 75,000 migrants to Morocco had "considerably alleviated" the situation, Ceuta had not yet returned to normal.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Fears that a bubble was bursting in chip stocks were alleviated by reports of robust demand for SK Hynix’s new American depositary receipts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Additionally, after OpenAI’s recent $110 billion funding round, concerns about the ChatGPT creator’s ability to pay Oracle for its compute commitments should be alleviated, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
That can be alleviated if TSA hires more staffers and opens up more security checkpoint lanes, some of which are rarely opened, depending on the airport, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
There is no known cure, though recent developments in potion-making have to a great extent alleviated the worst symptoms.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
Microsoft on Wednesday reported $90 billion in revenue and $35.8 billion in net income for its most recently completed quarter, potentially alleviating investor concerns about whether its investments in AI are paying off.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
This is a life-changing amount of money that would dramatically improve the American people’s lives by alleviating the stress and anxiety, poor health and even premature death that comes from financial precarity.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
The news suggested to investors that demand for software will increase, alleviating fears that vibe-coded AI software will replace traditional enterprise solutions.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
Health-tech startup NewDays is betting that AI can empower people with dementia to seek out human contact, alleviating the isolation that often comes with—and exacerbates—cognitive decline, writes Julie Jargon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
It was stunning to Mariam how quickly alleviating hunger became the crux of their existence.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
