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relieve

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of relieve

1 to make more bearable or less severe

  • an ice pack will relieve the swelling
Synonyms of relieve

allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, help, mitigate, mollify, palliate, soothe
Words Related to relieve

abate, lighten, moderate, soften, temper

cure, heal, remedy

amend, correct, emend, fix, mend, rectify, reform, repair

ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine
Near Antonyms of relieve

harm, hurt, impair, injure

heighten, intensify, sharpen
Antonyms of relieve

aggravate, exacerbate

2 to set (a person or thing) free of something that encumbers

  • the bellhop relieved him of his luggage and led him to the elevator
Synonyms of relieve

clear, disburden, disencumber, divest, free, rid, unburden
Words Related to relieve

discharge, emancipate, enfranchise, liberate, loose, loosen, manumit, release, spring, unbind, uncage, unchain, unfetter

bail (out), deliver, redeem, rescue

disengage, disentangle, extricate
Near Antonyms of relieve

bog (down), fetter, hamper, restrain, shackle, subject, weigh down, weight (down)
Antonyms of relieve

burden, encumber, saddle

3 to take the place of

  • at daybreak a soldier arrived to relieve the one who had spent the night on guard duty
Synonyms of relieve

cut out, displace, displant, replace, substitute, supersede, supplant
Words Related to relieve

preempt, usurp

Synonym Discussion of relieve

relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay mean to make something less grievous. relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable.
    • took an aspirin to relieve the pain
alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.
    • the lotion alleviated the itching
lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight.
    • good news would lighten our worries
assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable.
    • ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat
mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful.
    • the need to mitigate barbaric laws
allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms.
    • allayed their fears

Learn More about relieve

  1. See words that rhyme with relieve Dictionary: Definition of relieve Medical Dictionary: Definition of relieve Spanish Central: Translation of relieve Nglish: Translation of relieve for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of relieve for Arabic speakers

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