palliate

American  

[pal-ee-eyt] / ˈpæl iˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

palliated, palliating

1. to relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate.

2. to try to mitigate or conceal the gravity of (an offense) by excuses, apologies, etc.; extenuate.

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palliate British  

/ ˈpælɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to lessen the severity of (pain, disease, etc) without curing or removing; alleviate; mitigate

2. to cause (an offence) to seem less serious by concealing evidence; extenuate

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Other Word Forms

• palliation noun
• palliator noun
• unpalliated adjective

Etymology

Origin of palliate

First recorded in 1540–50, palliate is from the Late Latin word palliātus cloaked, covered. See pallium, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

The easing of lockdown restrictions coincides with preparations by the cash-strapped Caribbean island nation for its tourist high season, which it hopes will bring much-needed dollars to palliate a dire economic crisis.

From Reuters • Sep. 24, 2021

His role, he said, was “not to ‘sell’ the U.S.A. but to ‘explain’ it, not to palliate its blemishes but to contextualize them.”

From New York Times • May 3, 2016

Results palliate everything, but without them significant fault lines are exposed.

From The Guardian • Dec. 2, 2015

Ultimately, biomedical research offers no value to the public if our work does not result in the availability of safe and effective interventions to cure, treat, palliate, diagnose, and prevent disease.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 4, 2013

To palliate their meanness, they invoked the most specious pretexts in vain.

From The Life of Mohammad The Prophet of Allah by Dinet, Etienne