Adjective: palliative 'pa-lee,ey-tiv or pal-yu-tiv [N. Amer], pa-lee-u-tiv [Brit]
- Moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear
"The palliative effects of the medication provided much-needed relief";
- alleviative, alleviatory, lenitive, mitigative, mitigatory
- Remedy that alleviates pain without curing
"He took a palliative to reduce the discomfort of his chronic back pain";
- alleviant, alleviator
Derived forms: palliatives
See also: moderating
Type of: curative, cure, remedy, therapeutic
Encyclopedia: Palliative