What does palliative mean?
Palliative means Serving to palliate; serving to extenuate or mitigate..
Palliative
/ˈpælɪətɪv/ · adjective
Meaning
Serving to palliate; serving to extenuate or mitigate..
Definitions by Sense
- Serving to palliate; serving to extenuate or mitigate.
- (medicine) Minimising the progression of a disease and relieving undesirable symptoms for as long as possible, rather than attempting to cure the (usually incurable) disease.
- (medicine) Something that palliates, particularly a palliative medicine.
Example Sentences
The radiation and chemotherapy were only palliatives.
Mary heard with sorrow, and fear also, of the projected journey; but the altered expression of Isabella's countenance was a great palliative—dreadful as it was that her husband should love another...
Synonyms for palliative
Antonyms for palliative
Related Words
Word Forms
- more palliative
- most palliative
- palliatives
Usage Notes
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Practice and Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a synonym for palliative?
Common synonyms include lenitive, mitigative, alleviatory, alleviative.
What is the opposite of palliative?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use palliative in a sentence?
The radiation and chemotherapy were only palliatives.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.