Word of the Day
: December 13, 2025alleviate
playWhat It Means
To alleviate something is to make it less painful, difficult, or severe. Alleviate can also mean "to partially remove or correct."
// There's no cure for the common cold, but there are various treatments that may alleviate some of the symptoms.
// The new tunnel should alleviate traffic congestion on the bridge.
alleviate in Context
"The funds are meant to alleviate monetary barriers and enhance the fashion industry's talent pipeline." — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Did You Know?
Now for a bit of light reading. Alleviate comes from Latin levis, meaning "having little weight." (Levis also gave rise to the English adjective light as in "not heavy.") In its early days during the 16th century, alleviate could mean both "to cause (something) to have less weight" or "to make (something) more tolerable." The literal "make lighter" sense is no longer used, and today only the "relieve, lessen" sense remains. Incidentally, not only is alleviate a synonym of relieve, it's also a cousin: relieve comes from Latin levare ("to raise"), which in turn comes from levis.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Test Your Vocabulary
What four-letter word refers to a plant whose leaves furnish a gelatinous, soothing extract used especially in cosmetics and skin creams?
VIEW THE ANSWER
