alleviate

American  

[uh-lee-vee-ayt] / əˈli viˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• alleviates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• alleviated,
  past participle,  past
• alleviating
  present participle

1. 

   to make easier to endure; lessen; mitigate.

   to alleviate sorrow; to alleviate pain.

   Synonyms:

   assuage, relieve, abate, diminish, lighten

   Antonyms:

   intensify, aggravate, strengthen, increase

---

alleviate British  

/ əˈliːvɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make (pain, sorrow, etc) easier to bear; lessen; relieve

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alleviation
  noun
• alleviator
  noun
• alleviative
  adjective
• unalleviated
  adjective
• unalleviating
  adjective
• unalleviatedly
  adverb
• unalleviatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• alleviating
  present
• alleviated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• alleviate
  simple
• alleviates
  simple
• have alleviated
  perfect
• has alleviated
  perfect
• am alleviating
  progressive
• are alleviating
  progressive
• is alleviating
  progressive
• have been alleviating
  perfect progressive
• has been alleviating
  perfect progressive

Past

• alleviated
  simple
• had alleviated
  perfect
• was alleviating
  progressive
• were alleviating
  progressive
• had been alleviating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will alleviate
  simple
• will have alleviated
  perfect
• will be alleviating
  progressive
• will have been alleviating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alleviate alleviates alleviated alleviating

Having a long-term-care policy, more than anything, can help alleviate the financial burden that lies ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

I’d talk to him about whether he is willing to fly back to Denver to see you during this time, if only to alleviate some of the financial burden.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Although there is some rain in the short-range forecast, it is unlikely to be the kind of prolonged amount needed to alleviate the dry conditions over much of the UK.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

“It’s helping alleviate all of the invisible stress that exists. You don’t always see it, but it’s there.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Like Galton and Pearson, Muller sympathized with the desire to use genetics to alleviate suffering.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Fostering even for a night or two alleviates that crunch for space, allowing shelters to host cats they might not otherwise be able to.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Günter is attracted to Freud’s science of the mind because he believes that it alleviates unhappiness, but he is learning that the analyst can be distant and dictatorial, like some all-knowing but uncaring deity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

The deal alleviates concerns about rivals impacting Nvidia’s AI chip market share.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

“Importantly, Azure is set for another strong year as incremental capacity alleviates constraints on core and AI workloads, unlocking faster growth and reinforcing its role as a key engine alongside M365,” Thill wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026

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

It’s still the summer—the August heat is alleviated in South Carolina only by late-afternoon thunderstorms.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

“The worries on the demand curve have been alleviated quite a bit.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Plus, the new Federal Reserve chair cleared his final confirmation hurdle this afternoon, which likely alleviated some lingering uncertainty at the central bank, and among investors.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

That alleviated some homesickness, but it didn’t get Iamaleava’s career up off the ground.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

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

Since you ask about strategies for alleviating risk or the perception of risk: First, take stock of what you actually own and when you’ll need the money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

She said she hopes the arrest "goes some way towards alleviating the anxiety and uncertainty" that Karol Kelly's family have experienced.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Crude prices had fallen in recent weeks, with investors believing that the end of fighting was in sight, alleviating some worries about war-fueled inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 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

One day, a packet-ship arriving from Nova Scotia with meat, thus alleviating the city’s starvation, I purchased a salted ham-hock with Sally, and, by her side, stripped it for cooking.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• allay
• assuage
• ease
• mitigate