Palliate (verb) is the word to use when you want to make something feel or seem better. Palliate doesn’t mean “cure” or “solve.” Instead, something that palliates relieves the symptoms or consequences of something, without addressing the underlying cause. Your dentist might give you pain-killing drugs to palliate the discomfort caused by an impacted molar, but that molar is still there, waiting to cause more trouble.
Pronunciation: pal-ee-yet<
Origin of Palliate:
Palliate is derived from Late Latin word palliāre to meaning to cover up, and from Latin word pallium which means “a cloak”.
Dictionary Meanings of Palliate
1. Make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause.
2. To make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
Master’s Tip to Learn Palliate
When you palliate something, you try to make something less hurtful. For example, when the doctors alleviate (make easier) your leg pain by giving painkillers, they try to palliate your pain.
Sentence Examples for palliate
1. Don’t try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies.
2. There was nothing to palliate what he had seen; and now he must begin life afresh.
3. Divisions and inequalities persist, but government can palliate their effects with hard cash.
4. Vain excuses, Mr. Drave; mere pretexts to palliate your hatred.
5. Such external treatment only palliates the suffering for a little while without removing the disordered vital force that gave origin to its appearance.
