Alleviate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈli.vi.eɪt/

Definitions

1. To reduce the severity or intensity of something unpleasant, such as pain, suffering, or a difficult situation
2. To make something less severe or burdensome, such as easing pain, minimizing distress, or lightening a challenging situation
3. To provide a reduction in the discomfort or difficulty associated with an issue, including pain relief, lessening worries, or mitigating hardships

Etymology: Alleviate is a Latin word built from a sense of lightness. The Latin verb "levis" meant "light" in weight, and it gave rise to "levare," "to lift." Adding the prefix "ad-" (which became "al-" before the "l" sound) and the verb ending produced "alleviare," meaning to lighten a load, and by extension to ease a burden of any kind. English borrowed the word from its Late Latin past participle, "alleviatus," so its literal core is still the image of taking weight off someone's back. The word is therefore a close relative of "levity," "relieve," and "lever," all of which trace back to the same Latin root for lightness or lifting. "Relieve" came into English through French and carries the same idea of lifting a weight away, which is why these words often sound like cousins.

Synonyms: relieve, ease, lessen, mitigate, soothe

Antonyms: aggravate, intensify, exacerbate