palliative

adjective

pal·li·a·tive | \ ˈpa-lē-ˌā-tiv

, ˈpal-yə-

Definition of palliative

(Entry 1 of 2)

: serving to palliate palliative surgery palliative care palliative drugs

palliative

noun

Definition of palliative (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that palliates

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Examples of palliative in a Sentence

Noun

The disease has no cure, but a number of palliatives exist. Travel is like a palliative against depression for him. symbolic palliatives for inner-city troubles

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The study results didn’t surprise Brooke Worster, program director for palliative care services at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. — Mary Bernard, Philly.com, "Will that tattoo hurt you professionally? Not if you're a doctor, study finds," 9 July 2018 Planning for the end The data scientists partnered with Penn’s palliative care program to develop Palliative Connect. — Ian Haydon, Philly.com, "Working to save lives, Philly physicians find way to help patients confront death," 26 June 2018 Snowline recently reviewed the hospital visits for patients in its palliative care program from Jan. 1, 2017 through May 1, 2018. — Cathie Anderson, sacbee, "This type of care can sharply reduce medical costs, so why aren't doctors ordering it?," 25 June 2018 And Mesab responded to the AIDS crisis with a palliative care program that financed the training of professionals and community caregivers in treating those with the disease. — Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, "Herbert Kaiser, 94, Health Care Champion in South Africa, Dies," 4 Apr. 2018 At MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, palliative care specialist Dr. Ishwaria Subbiah now devotes extra time to choosing painkillers as availability changes. — Linda A. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "The other opioid crisis: Hospitals grapple with prolonged injected opioid shortage," 28 June 2018 For example, Crossroads palliative specialists recently were asked to help a terminal patient of Native American heritage who was on a ventilator. — Guest Columnist/cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Hospice and palliative experts extend family doctor's care at end of life: Dr. Walter George (Opinion)," 15 Apr. 2018 His father’s palliative care team has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday afternoon. — Karen Weintraub, STAT, "An anti-aging researcher faces the loss of his inspiration: his 96-year-old father," 20 June 2018 They were joined by a team of nurses, social workers, therapists, and specialists in ethics, psychology, and palliative care. — Tom Avril, Philly.com, "He had 2 heart transplants. At 43, as a new dad, he needed a third," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With the national hospice and palliative care movements only beginning, our discussions with this man and his wife focused mostly on which chemotherapies might be able to prolong his life. — WSJ, "The Top Five Health Posts of 2018 from The Experts," 31 Dec. 2018 Paralyzed, and using a feeding tube, Mr. Perry was moved to a palliative-care center. — Thomas M. Burton, WSJ, "For Treating Severe Strokes, All Hospitals Aren’t Equal," 28 Nov. 2018 Dental, vision, and mental care will be covered, as will inpatient care, outpatient care, primary care, preventative care, palliative care, ambulatory care, emergency care, maternal care, and newborn care. — Tim Higginbotham And Chris Middleman, Vox, "“Medicare-for-all” means something. Don’t let moderates water it down.," 13 July 2018 Physicians’ attitudes toward palliative and hospice care have likely shifted in the past decade. — Orly Nadell Farber, STAT, "Physicians’ beliefs may override cancer patients’ wishes for end-of-life care, study finds," 9 July 2018 Barbara Bailey, a palliative and hospice care nurse educator, hosted. — Peter Rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Going this way? Death is still inevitable, but 'angels' and cafes want to change our last days," 20 May 2018 Telleen said while both palliative and hospice aim to manage pain and symptoms, palliative care is a support that may be provided while a person is still receiving aggressive treatments. — Donna Vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Hospice is different from palliative care but both are considered 'comfort care'," 20 Apr. 2018 Kay Hawes, a spokeswoman for the University of Kansas Medical Center, said Riseman was a hospice and palliative medicine fellow at the KU School of Medicine from 2009 to 2010. — Andy Marso, kansascity, "Doc was sued for malpractice 13 times in Illinois. He's in 'good standing' in Missouri | The Kansas City Star," 25 Mar. 2018 Harman was not involved in the new research but has also applied machine learning techniques in her field to identify patients who may benefit from palliative care interventions. — Orly Nadell Farber, STAT, "Are we spending too much on the dying? New research challenges this widely held view," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'palliative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

21 Feb 2019

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The first known use of palliative was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for palliative

palliative

noun

English Language Learners Definition of palliative

medical : something that reduces the effects or symptoms of a medical condition without curing it

formal : something that is intended to make a bad situation seem better but that does not really improve the situation

See the full definition for palliative in the English Language Learners Dictionary

palliative

adjective

pal·lia·tive | \ ˈpal-ē-ˌāt-iv

, ˈpal-yət-

Medical Definition of palliative

(Entry 1 of 2)

: reducing the severity of a disease or condition without curing it : providing palliative care palliative treatment Although valve replacement is an important advance in the treatment of patients with valve disease, it is a palliative rather than a curative procedure.— Robert A. O'Rourke, The Journal of the American Medical Association, 13 Aug. 1982