alleviate
verbBand 9formal
UKəˈliːvieɪt
USəˈliːviˌeɪt
To make pain, suffering, or a problem less severe.
Painkillers can alleviate the symptoms.
The scheme was set up to alleviate poverty.
Remember it
Alleviate comes from Latin levis, “light”: to alleviate suffering is to make it feel lighter.
Watch out
alleviate from painalleviate pain
Alleviate takes a direct object.
Goes with
Similar and opposite
- Similar
- easerelievereducesoothe
- Opposite
- aggravateworsenintensify
Word family
Check yourself
1 of 4
Which picture shows alleviate?