palliative

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpæl.i.ə.tɪv/ UK /ˈpæl.i.ə.tɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #48781

Meanings

1

adj
relieving pain or other symptoms without curing the underlying disease

The team offered palliative treatment to keep the patient comfortable.
2

noun
a medicine, treatment, or measure that eases a problem without removing its cause

The emergency grant was only a temporary palliative for the housing shortage.
3

adj
serving to make a difficult condition less severe without solving it

Price controls may have a palliative effect, but they do not increase supply.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · relieving pain or other... alleviatingsymptom-relieving

2 noun · a medicine, treatment, or... reliefstopgaptemporary remedy

3 adj · serving to make a difficult... mitigatingameliorative

Opposites

curative remedialaggravating

Word family

Derived forms palliatively

Related forms palliate palliationpalliative caremitigate

Etymology

From French palliatif and Medieval Latin palliativus, from palliare, 'to cloak,' based on Latin pallium, 'cloak.' A palliative was therefore something that covered or softened an illness or problem rather than eliminating its cause.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# palliative

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpæl.i.ə.tɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpæl.i.ə.tɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 48781

## Meanings
1. relieving pain or other symptoms without curing the underlying disease
2. a medicine, treatment, or measure that eases a problem without removing its cause
3. serving to make a difficult condition less severe without solving it

## Examples
- The team offered palliative treatment to keep the patient comfortable.
- The emergency grant was only a temporary palliative for the housing shortage.
- Price controls may have a palliative effect, but they do not increase supply.

## Synonyms
- alleviating
- mitigating
- temporary remedy
- stopgap

## Antonyms
- curative
- remedial
- aggravating

## Derived Forms
- palliatively

## Related Forms
- palliate
- palliation
- palliative care
- mitigate

## Etymology
From French palliatif and Medieval Latin palliativus, from palliare, 'to cloak,' based on Latin pallium, 'cloak.' A palliative was therefore something that covered or softened an illness or problem rather than eliminating its cause.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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