Alleviate

1. (v. t.) To lighten a burden or weight; to mitigate; as to alleviate back pain.

2. (v. t.) To lighten or lessen (physical or mental troubles); to mitigate, or make easier to be endured; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, etc. ; -- opposed to aggravate.

3. (v. t.) To extenuate; to palliate.

Thesaurus Entries

abate, allay, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, bate, be light, benumb, blunt, chasten, constrain, control, cure, cushion, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, dilute, diminish, disburden, disencumber, downplay, dull, ease, ease matters, extenuate, foment, give relief, have little weight, keep within bounds, kick the beam, lay, lenify, lessen, lighten, lull, make light, make lighter, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obtund, off-load, pad, palliate, play down, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, reduce, reduce the temperature, reduce weight, relieve, remedy, remit, restrain, salve, slacken, slake, slow down, smother, sober, sober down, soften, soothe, stifle, stupe, subdue, suppress, tame, temper, tone down, tune down, unballast, unburden, underplay, unlade, unload, water down, weaken, weigh lightly