1
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to alleviate
to make more bearable or less severe
this medicine should palliate your cough at least a little
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of palliate
Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2024
Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.
—Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024
Long hours of sitting masquerade as wellness, insecurity is palliated by snacks, and flexibility’s just another name for no time of your own.
—Curbed, 4 Jan. 2023
Rhys drank heavily to palliate her burdens, and was known for tirades and other skunky behavior.
—New York Times, 20 June 2022
The friends are teen-agers, both outcasts of a kind, lonely and looking for ways to palliate their solitude.
—The New Yorker, 2 May 2022
Those would likely be limited to economic benefits to palliate the loss of crops and revenues for farmers.
—Emilio Morenatti, ajc, 13 Feb. 2022
In an effort to palliate these advocates, legislators offered a work-around, passing legislation to relax the restrictions on bail funds, allowing them to post higher bails and to bail out people facing Class-A felony charges.
—Nick Pinto, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2020
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2024
Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.
—Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024
Long hours of sitting masquerade as wellness, insecurity is palliated by snacks, and flexibility’s just another name for no time of your own.
—Curbed, 4 Jan. 2023
Rhys drank heavily to palliate her burdens, and was known for tirades and other skunky behavior.
—New York Times, 20 June 2022
The friends are teen-agers, both outcasts of a kind, lonely and looking for ways to palliate their solitude.
—The New Yorker, 2 May 2022
Those would likely be limited to economic benefits to palliate the loss of crops and revenues for farmers.
—Emilio Morenatti, ajc, 13 Feb. 2022
In an effort to palliate these advocates, legislators offered a work-around, passing legislation to relax the restrictions on bail funds, allowing them to post higher bails and to bail out people facing Class-A felony charges.
—Nick Pinto, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palliate
Verb
-
As the couple continued to pepper Harry with questions, Caroline excused herself to get another seltzer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pumps pulled seventeen million gallons of stormwater off the streets, and the new blue-and-green infrastructure absorbed runoff to alleviate pressure on the pipes.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The couple, who married in 1989, revealed on Monday that King-Crews was diagnosed with the condition in 2015 and recently underwent a medical procedure that has helped to alleviate symptoms on the right side of her body.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At a time of widespread angst over runaway ticket prices, merely encountering something novel at a concert isn’t enough for many to justify the cost of getting in the door, particularly when superstars like Taylor Swift and SZA are on the road showing that innovation and value can coexist.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Seeing injustice justified with IQ, educators grew increasingly fed up with the indicator in the second half of the 20th century.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Seasoned golfers Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples flirted with the cut line while Arizona State senior Jose Luis Ballester relieved himself in Rae’s Creek near the 13th tee.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Speaking of cryptocurrency, you may be relieved to know that Jonathan, the world’s oldest tortoise, is alive and well, despite rumors to the contrary.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mariam explained that she’d been admitted to Bronx Science through a program called Discovery, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds whose test scores fell just below the school’s cutoff line.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Could the seizures explain Al-Hashimi’s moments of forgetfulness that Robby has been curious about during his shift?—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To help keep a lid on prices at the pump, the Environmental Protection Agency recently waived the summertime cap on the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline.—
E.J. Antoni,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Kansas City Star has created a voter guide to help readers understand who everyone is on the KC-area ballot.—
Rashad Alexander,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While the campus has seen many changes in the last four decades, most have been attempts to mitigate the greatest failures of Netsch’s vision without creating much memorable new work.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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The impact on the waitlist might be mitigated by the small number of people going through the new process each year.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a sea of gray-toned suits and uniforms, the woman trying to soothe her crying baby comes across as an outlier even before a belligerent young salaryman starts screaming at her for disturbing the peace.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
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Water is one of the best inclusions to have in a hardscape plan for its soothing sound that also improves the air quality by releasing negative ions in the air that decreases pollutants.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Palliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palliate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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