alleviate

[uh-lee-vee-eyt]

See more synonyms for alleviate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), al·le·vi·at·ed, al·le·vi·at·ing.

to make easier to endure; lessen; mitigate: to alleviate sorrow; to alleviate pain.

Origin of alleviate

1425–75; late Middle English alleviaten < Late Latin alleviātus (past participle of alleviāre), equivalent to al- al- + levi(s) light, not heavy + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsun·al·le·vi·at·ed, adjectiveun·al·le·vi·at·ed·ly, adverbun·al·le·vi·at·ing, adjectiveun·al·le·vi·at·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for alleviate

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lighten, diminish, abate, relieve, assuage.

Antonyms for alleviate

increase, strengthen; aggravate, intensify.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for alleviated

ease, assuage, mitigate, allay, pacify, mollify, lighten, soft-pedal

Examples from the Web for alleviated

Contemporary Examples of alleviated

For example, back pain can be alleviated by strong glutes—a result of squatting and deadlifting.
Why You Should Train Like an Athlete (Even If You Aren’t One)
DailyBurn
December 20, 2013
A danger not alleviated by a Russian decision to supply President Bashar al-Assad with a new advanced air defense system.
Mideast War in Our Time?
Jamie Dettmer
May 31, 2013
“The short-term pressures might have alleviated, but the longer-term pressures are still with us,” she said.
Christine Lagarde at Davos: Europe Must ‘Guard Against Relapse in 2013’
Daniel Gross
January 24, 2013

Historical Examples of alleviated

One thing occurred on this sad bereavement which alleviated it a little.
Memoirs
Charles Godfrey Leland
Horam was rather more distressed than alleviated by her protestations.
Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers
Various
I can assure you that the plight of the downtrodden workers will be alleviated.
Gambler's World
John Keith Laumer
He composed such incantations also by which distempers are alleviated.
The Antiquities of the Jews
Flavius Josephus
This fate could only be alleviated by the education and elevation of women.
A Little Journey in the World
Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for alleviated

alleviate

verb

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

Derived Formsalleviation, nounalleviative, adjectivealleviator, noun

Word Origin for alleviate

C15: from Late Latin alleviāre to mitigate, from Latin levis light

xref

See ameliorate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alleviated

alleviate

late 15c., from Middle French allevier or directly from Late Latin alleviatus, past participle of alleviare "to lighten," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + levis "light" in weight (see lever). Related: Alleviated; alleviating.