
relieve (oneself)
[Middle English releven, from Old French relever, from Latin relevāre : re-, re- + levāre, to raise.]
relievable re·liev'a·ble adj.SYNONYMS relieve, allay, alleviate, assuage, lighten, mitigate, palliate. These verbs mean to make something less severe or more bearable. To relieve is to make more endurable something causing discomfort or distress: "that misery which he strives in vain to relieve" (Henry David Thoreau). Allay suggests at least temporary relief from what is burdensome or painful: "This music crept by me upon the waters,/Allaying both their fury and my passion/With its sweet air" (Shakespeare). Alleviate connotes temporary lessening of distress without removal of its cause: "No arguments shall be wanting on my part that can alleviate so severe a misfortune" (Jane Austen). To assuage is to soothe or make milder: assuaged his guilt by confessing to the crime. Lighten signifies to make less heavy or oppressive: legislation that would lighten the taxpayer's burden. Mitigate and palliate connote moderating the force or intensity of something that causes suffering: "I ... prayed to the Lord to mitigate a calamity" (John Galt). "Men turn to him in the hour of distress, as of all statesmen the most fitted to palliate it" (William E.H. Lecky).
verb
Definition: help; make less painful
Antonyms: burden, discourage, exacerbate, harm, hurt, injure, pain, trouble, upset, worry, worsen
v
Definition: improve
Antonyms: aggravate, exacerbate, worsen
v
Definition: remove blame, responsibility
Antonyms: accuse, blame, condemn, unburden
2. bring military support for (a besieged place): he dispatched an expedition to relieve the city.
reliever n.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
To lighten a color in order to reduce its intensity.
I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.
— Charles de Secondat
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
1. to mitigate or remove pain or distress. v 2. the procedure of placing hard wax in strategic areas.
Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - lette, afhjælpe, aflaste, sætte i relief
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
aflossen, ontlasten, verlichten, afwisselen, versterkingen aanvoeren, reliëf geven aan
Français (French)
v. tr. - dissiper, remédier à, alléger, rompre (la monotonie), (Méd, Aut) décongestionner, rendre moins sévère (un vêtement), débarrasser qn de, soulager qn de, venir en aide à, secourir, relever (la garde), (Mil) délivrer, faire lever le siège de
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
v. - helfen, lindern, befreien, erleichtern, entlasten, abnehmen, ablösen
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ανακουφίζω, περιθάλπω, απαλλάσσω, απολύω, ξαλαφρώνω, αντικαθιστώ, ξεκουράζω, ποικίλλω, διανθίζω, βοηθώ, δίνω βοήθεια, τονίζω, προβάλλω
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
sgravare, alleviare, alleggerire, alleggerirsi, sostituire
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
v. - acalmar, consolar, atenuar
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
освобождать, облегчать, сменять
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - liberar, exonerar, calmar, aliviar, mitigar, descargar, relevar, sustituir
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - lätta, undsätta, avlösa
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
减轻, 解除, 救济
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 減輕, 解除, 救濟
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 경감하다, 안도케 하다, 구제하다
idioms:
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 和らげる, ほっとさせる, 交替させる, 解放する, 解雇する, から盗む, 救う, から敵を追い払う, 救援する, 軽減する
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يريح, يفرج عن, يلطف, يخفف
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - הקל, הרגיע, החליף, הגיש סיוע, חילץ, שחרר, גיוון
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.