PALLIATE Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

palliate

verb

ˈpa-lē-ˌāt

Definition of palliate

as in to excuse

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to alleviate

to make more bearable or less severe this medicine should palliate your cough at least a little

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of palliate Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy. — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2024 Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days. — Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024 Long hours of sitting masquerade as wellness, insecurity is palliated by snacks, and flexibility’s just another name for no time of your own. — Curbed, 4 Jan. 2023 Rhys drank heavily to palliate her burdens, and was known for tirades and other skunky behavior. — New York Times, 20 June 2022 The friends are teen-agers, both outcasts of a kind, lonely and looking for ways to palliate their solitude. — The New Yorker, 2 May 2022 Those would likely be limited to economic benefits to palliate the loss of crops and revenues for farmers. — Emilio Morenatti, ajc, 13 Feb. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for palliate

Verb

State lawmakers passed legislation this summer to require school principals to excuse student absences related to private, off-campus religious instruction programs.

— Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026
The abuse of women and girls has long been ignored, excused, protected and even turned into profit.

— Jodi Bondi Norgaard, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of excuse

Verb

He was appointed as a special advisor for water infrastructure after last year’s rupture and prepared a report for the government on improvements to alleviate the island’s water problems.

— Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
But the Cloaca Maxima was primarily designed to drain marshland and alleviate flooding.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of alleviate

Verb

The government may not decide that Church teaching is insufficiently religious, insufficiently consistent with Catholic doctrine, or insufficiently compelling to justify an ecclesiastical policy.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
Organizers of Tuesday's rally said the women were released from ICE detention after a judge granted their habeas corpus petitions, meaning the government was required to justify their continued detention.

— Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of justify

Verb

One of the questions, directed to David Hunt, director of finance for Entergy Arkansas, asks him to explain the reasoning for the classification of the payments.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Bernadette explains the racial nuances the Guardians might not know as newcomers to Earth, echoing the landmark 1971 Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic series, which attempts to bring the space cops down to Earth by exposing them to racial strife.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of explain

Verb

Having Maxx Crosby back on the field will help, but improvements need to be made if the Raiders want to be competitive.

— Sam Warren, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The committee would eventually disband without an answer, despite the fact that Selig had helped engineer the sale of the team in 2005 to Lew Wolff, an old University of Wisconsin frat buddy, and John Fisher.

— Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of help

Verb

Though the threat of an explosion was mitigated in early June, cleanup didn't begin until the very end of the month.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Under current law, the President has the flexibility to order a limited drawdown, releasing up to 30 million barrels over a 60-day period, to mitigate sudden supply shocks without declaring a full-scale national emergency.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of mitigate

Verb

There might be a best practice emerging with general rules to live by, but the exact products and ingredients that trigger or soothe your skin will be highly individualized.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
And many people feel a teaspoon of honey or perhaps tea with honey can soothe a scratchy throat.

— Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of soothe

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pallets

palliate

palliated

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“Palliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palliate. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of palliate

verb

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