palliate — to make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without curing it; to make something bad seem less serious
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without curing it; to make something bad seem less serious
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈpæliˌeɪt/
Example Sentences
- The comedian's jokes could only palliate the awkwardness of the family dinner, not eliminate it completely.
- Drinking coffee might palliate your sleepiness temporarily, but you'll crash later.
- His excuse about the dog eating his homework only served to palliate the teacher's anger, not eliminate the zero grade.
palliate
VERB[/ˈpæliˌeɪt/]
to make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without curing it; to make something bad seem less serious

Easing pain without curing

Pall says 'I ate the pain!' - palliating but not curing completely!

Palliate the debate, let healing create
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'palliatus', the past participle of 'palliare', meaning 'to cloak' or 'to cover', derived from 'pallium' meaning 'cloak' or 'mantle'. The term evolved to mean covering up or mitigating the severity of something.
Breakdown
palliat- (from Latin palliare, to cloak/cover) + -e (verb infinitive) = palliate (to cover up/mitigate)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The comedian's jokes could only palliate the awkwardness of the family dinner, not eliminate it completely.”
“Drinking coffee might palliate your sleepiness temporarily, but you'll crash later.”
“His excuse about the dog eating his homework only served to palliate the teacher's anger, not eliminate the zero grade.”
“The government's temporary subsidies can only palliate the economic crisis, not solve it.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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