Nearby Words

Alleviate

[uh-lee-vee-eyt] Example Sentences Origin

al·le·vi·ate

[uh-lee-vee-eyt]
verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
to make easier to endure; lessen; mitigate: to alleviate sorrow; to alleviate pain.

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English alleviaten < Late Latin alleviātus (past participle of alleviāre), equivalent to al- al- + levi(s) light, not heavy + -ātus -ate1

un·al·le·vi·at·ed, adjective
un·al·le·vi·at·ed·ly, adverb
un·al·le·vi·at·ing, adjective
un·al·le·vi·at·ing·ly, adverb


lighten, diminish, abate, relieve, assuage.


increase, strengthen; aggravate, intensify.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Alleviate is a GRE word you need to know.
So is labyrinthine. Does it mean:
formidable
of, pertaining to, or resembling a labyrinth
Example Sentences
  • Shallow characters and trite writing do nothing do alleviate this sloppiness.
  • Your letter arrived as something to alleviate winter's dreary grays.
  • Researchers discover a way to briefly store data acoustically to alleviate traffic bottlenecks.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
alleviate (əˈliːvɪˌeɪt)
 
vb
(tr) to make (pain, sorrow, etc) easier to bear; lessen; relieve
 
[C15: from Late Latin alleviāre to mitigate, from Latin levis light]
 
 
allevi'ation
 
n
 
al'leviative
 
adj
 
al'leviator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

alleviate
1520s, from L.L. alleviatus, pp. of alleviare "to lighten," from L. ad- "to" + levis "light" in weight (see lever).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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