palliate Hear it!

palliate Definition

pal·li·ate (pal′ē āt′)

transitive verb -·at′ed, -·at′·ing

  1. to lessen the pain or severity of without actually curing; alleviate; ease
  2. to make appear less serious or offensive; excuse; extenuate

Etymology: < pp. of LL palliare, to conceal, cloak, back-form. < L palliatus, cloaked < pallium, a cloak

palliate Related Forms
pal′·lia′·tion noun pal′·lia′·tor noun
palliate Synonyms

palliate

v.

apologize for, make light of, screen, hide, conceal, cover, veil, gloss over, cloak, mitigate, assuage, varnish, veneer, whitewash, soften, soft-pedal, subdue, moderate, gloze, bolster up, exculpate, vindicate, justify, alleviate; see also excuse, extenuate.

palliate Usage Examples

Object

  • symptom: Sometimes it is a very dangerous act to palliate symptoms.

Modifying Another Word

  • effectively: Clinical symptoms were effectively palliated in all five patients.
palliate Quotes

If the changes we fear be thus irresistible, what remains but to acquiesce with silence, as in the other insurmountable distresses of humanity? It remains that we retard what we cannot repel, that we palliate what we cannot cure.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson

Browse dictionary entries near palliate

  1. ‹ palliasse
  2. ‹ pallette
  3. ‹ palletize
  4. ‹ pallet
  5. ‹ pallbearer
  6. ‹ Pallas
  7. ‹ palladous
  8. ‹ palladium
  9. ‹ Palladio
  10. ‹ palladic
  1. palliative ›
  2. pallid ›
  3. pallium ›
  4. pallor ›
  5. pally ›
  6. palm ›
  7. Palm Beach ›
  8. palm crab ›
  9. palm(ing) off ›
  10. palm leaf ›