alleviate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unalleviatedlyadverb
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unalleviatingadjective
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unalleviatedadjective
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alleviatornoun
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alleviativeadjective
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unalleviatinglyadverb
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alleviationnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have alleviatedperfect
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has alleviatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been alleviatingperfect progressive
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has been alleviatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is alleviatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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alleviatingparticiple
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are alleviatingprogressive
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am alleviatingprogressive 1st person singular
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alleviatessingular 3rd person
Past
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had alleviatedperfect
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had been alleviatingperfect progressive
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was alleviatingprogressive singular
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were alleviatingprogressive plural
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alleviatedparticiple
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alleviatedsimple
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.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says under a new loan program, Canadian airlines facing “significant financial pressures” from higher fuel prices could access up to C$150 million in financing to alleviate the balance-sheet squeeze.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"We have measures that try to alleviate the impact that tourism has and that try to distribute tourists in cities in a different way," he says.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
A long-term-care policy can, more than anything, help alleviate the financial burden that may lie ahead.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
I’m ready to represent the communities that I grew up in and love to prioritize investments that alleviate the pain that too many working families are experiencing.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
To alleviate the boredom we give the dogs large beef bones to chew and play with.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
