alleviate
To make pain or trouble less bad.
alleviate in a sentence
- A cool flannel on his forehead helped alleviate the pounding headache.
- Singing silly songs on the long car journey helped alleviate the boredom.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to alleviate?
- Aease
- Bintensify
- Cworsen
Show the answer
A: ease. The other three mean the opposite of alleviate.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to alleviate?
- Alessen
- Brelieve
- Cworsen
- Dease
Show the answer
C: worsen. The other three mean nearly the same as alleviate.
Words that mean something similar
ease, relieve, lessen
Words that mean the opposite
worsen, intensify
More words about emotions & feelings
- anguish: Very great sadness or pain.
- animated: Full of life, energy and excitement.
- anxious: Worried and nervous about what might happen.
- apprehensive: A little scared and worried about something that is coming.
- ardent: Full of strong, keen feeling about something.
- arouse: To stir up a feeling, or to wake someone up.
- astonish: To surprise someone very much.
- awe: A feeling of great wonder and respect, sometimes mixed with a little fear.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test