ALLEVIATING

Verb

alleviating

present participle of alleviate

Source: Wiktionary


ALLEVIATE

Al*le"vi*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alleviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Alleviating.] Etym: [LL. alleviare, fr. L. ad + levis light. See Alegge, Levity.]

1. To lighten or lessen the force or weight of. [Obs.] Should no others join capable to alleviate the expense. Evelyn. Those large bladders . . . conduce much to the alleviating of the body [of flying birds]. Ray.

2. To lighten or lessen (physical or mental troubles); to mitigate, or make easier to be endured; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, etc. ; -- opposed to aggravate. The calamity of the want of the sense of hearing is much alleviated by giving the use of letters. Bp. Horsley.

3. To extenuate; to palliate. [R.] He alleviates his fault by an excuse. Johnson.

Syn.

– To lessen; diminish; soften; mitigate; assuage; abate; relieve; nullify; allay.

– To Alleviate, Mitigate, Assuage, Allay. These words have in common the idea of relief from some painful state; and being all figurative, they differ in their application, according to the image under which this idea is presented. Alleviate supposes a load which is lightened or taken off; as, to alleviate one's cares. Mitigate supposes something fierce which is made mild; as, to mitigate one's anguish. Assuage supposes something violent which is quieted; as, to assuage one's sorrow. Allay supposes something previously excited, but now brought down; as, to allay one's suffering or one's thirst. To alleviate the distresses of life; to mitigate the fierceness of passion or the violence of grief; to assuage angry feeling; to allay wounded sensibility.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

27 November 2024

NAUSEATING

(adjective) causing or able to cause nausea; “a nauseating smell”; “nauseous offal”; “a sickening stench”


Do you know this game?

Wordscapes

Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins