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relieve

[ri-leev]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relieve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).

to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.

to free from need, poverty, etc.

to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).

to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.

to reduce (a pressure, load, weight, etc., on a device or object under stress): to relieve the steam pressure; to relieve the stress on the supporting walls.

to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of: curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.

to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.

to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.

Machinery.

to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.

Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).

verb (used without object), re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

Baseball. to act as a relief pitcher: He relieved in 52 games for the Pirates last season.

Idioms

to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.

Origin of relieve

1300–50; Middle English releven < Middle French relever to raise < Latin relevāre to reduce the load of, lighten, equivalent to re- re- + levāre to raise, derivative of levis light in weight

Related formsre·liev·a·ble, adjectivere·liev·ed·ly

[ri-lee-vid-lee] /rɪˈli vɪd li/, adverbnon·re·liev·ing, adjectivequa·si-re·lieved, adjectiveun·re·liev·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·lieved, adjectiveun·re·liev·ed·ly, adverbun·re·liev·ing, adjective

Synonyms for relieve

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relieve ON THESAURUS.COM

1. mitigate, assuage, allay, lighten, lessen, abate, diminish. 3. support, sustain. 4. aid, help, assist, succor.

Synonym study

1. 2. 3. See comfort.

Antonyms for relieve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for relieving

mitigate, subdue, relax, ease, comfort, free, soothe, cure, calm, alleviate, diminish, allay, assuage, assist, absolve, appease, console, solace, palliate, lighten

Examples from the Web for relieving

Contemporary Examples of relieving

Instead of lessons about the dangerous, addictive, and deadly qualities of prescription opioids, he got lessons on relieving pain.
America’s Oxy-Express Route to Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 15, 2014
By relieving McElhone of the brash movie ending she is able to maintain her grasp on a flawed but still complex character.
Return of the Bunny Boiler: Fatal Attraction’s World Stage Premiere
Nico Hines
March 26, 2014
Sure revealing that you secretly like to paint might be relieving, but what next?
Ashton Kutcher Is Investing in the Anonymous Confessional App Secret
Abby Haglage
March 14, 2014
Exit might give them a nice export boost, relieving some of the crippling unemployment currently afflicting Italian workers.
Euro Crisis: Reheated
Megan McArdle
February 27, 2013
They made several trips to the bathroom,” he says, indicating “they were possibly doing more than just relieving themselves.
U.S. Marines Accused of Injuring Brazilian Stripper
Mac Margolis
May 1, 2012

Historical Examples of relieving

It was relieving to hurry across the dripping grass toward the barn.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
Is he not the presiding genius of the company for relieving the Poles?
The Macdermots of Ballycloran
Anthony Trollope
Why had Plowden, by the way, been so keen about relieving her from her father's importunities?
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
Soon after relieving Buford, we saw some Rebel infantry advancing.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier
What you planning to do, Joe, between now and relieving me at midnight?
The Best Short Stories of 1920
Various

British Dictionary definitions for relieving

relieve

verb (tr)

to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc) to (someone)

to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc)

to take over the duties or watch of (someone)

to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc)

to free (someone) from an obligation

to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous

to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast

(foll by of) informal to take fromthe thief relieved him of his watch

relieve oneself to urinate or defecate

Derived Formsrelievable, adjective

Word Origin for relieve

C14: from Old French relever, from Latin relevāre to lift up, relieve, from re- + levāre to lighten

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 relieving

relieve

v.

late 14c., "alleviate (pain, etc.), mitigate; afford comfort; allow respite; diminish the pressure of," also "give alms to, provide for;" also figuratively, "take heart, cheer up;" from Old French relever "to raise, relieve" (11c.) and directly from Latin relevare "to raise, alleviate, lift up, free from a burden," from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + levare "to lift up, lighten," from levis "not heavy" (see lever).

The notion is "to raise (someone) out of trouble." From c.1400 as "advance to the rescue in battle;" also "return from battle; recall (troops)." Meaning "release from duty" is from early 15c. Related: relieved; relieving.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

relieving in Medicine

relieve

[rĭ-lēv′]

v.

To cause a lessening or alleviation of something, such as pain, tension, or a symptom.

To free an individual from pain, anxiety, or distress.

Related formsre•liev′a•ble adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.