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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Journalists must avoid deception, but the primary instance when it may be excused is in deceiving certain sources during undercover investigations on an issue of public importance.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
-
Now, that doesn’t excuse Amad’s extremely sloppy pass, straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, who ran through unchecked to score.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
To alleviate the district’s overall budget deficit, the Board of Managers approved two separate reductions in force last month.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
-
The Edge power bank has been designed to alleviate such things.—
Paul Ridden
May 12,
New Atlas,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Though directors had grievances with John’s leadership, their complaints weren’t serious enough to justify firing him at this point.—
Geoffrey Cain,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
-
Westerman said tolls would be justified because the first iteration of the Great American Outdoors Act directed money to restore the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a federal road in the metropolitan Washington area.—
Garrett Downs,Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Alexa told me she was relieved by the outcome.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Several unhoused people are arrested each month for relieving themselves in public.—
Michael Perkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps the aether did exist, but it could never be construed as being in motion by an observer on the Earth, because the aether itself was being dragged by objects traveling through space, such as the Earth, explaining why a null result was obtained.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
-
The impacts of these events still feel fresh, Serpi explains through a digital translator.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
However, rights groups, including Global Witness, have long urged jewelers to avoid buying Burmese gemstones, saying the trade helps fund the country's military governments, according to The Associated Press.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
The goal was to help end partisan gridlock in Sacramento and force candidates in primaries to appeal to a wider range of voters, rather than just those in their own party.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The Venezuelan government requested information about the incident and the action plan for mitigating and containing the spill, and demanded reparation measures in accordance with international environmental law, the statement added.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Ramos said immigration law doesn’t allow a judge to consider military service as a mitigating factor if a person has been convicted of certain crimes.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
But as more flyers turn to booze to soothe their nerves, the number of aggressive incidents on planes involving passengers has crept up.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Humectants pull water into the skin, occlusives create a barrier that seals moisture in and emollients soften and soothe the skin’s surface.—
Ryan Brennan
May 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Palliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palliate. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
