What's the difference between **alleviate** and **reduce**?

Is **alleviate** formal or informal?

How do I use **alleviate** in a sentence?

Can I use **alleviate** for non-physical problems?

← Dictionary

alleviate

/əˈliːvieɪt/

IELTSAcademic

verb

to make pain, problems, or sadness less severe.

Yoga can help alleviate back pain.
The medicine alleviates headaches.

Adinary Nuance

Near-neighbors: alleviate suits moderate-to-serious issues (pain, difficulty) and feels more formal than ease or relieve, but less intense than mitigate. Choose alleviate in academic writing when you want a measured, precise tone.

In other languages

Spanish: aliviar
Japanese: 和らげる
Korean: 개선하다
Vietnamese: giảm bớt
Chinese: 减轻

Etymology

Common phrases

alleviate painalleviate stressalleviate symptomsalleviate suffering

Synonyms

ease relieve mitigate reduce lessen

Related words

pain symptom relief mitigate ease

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between **alleviate** and **reduce**?: Is **alleviate** formal or informal?
How do I use **alleviate** in a sentence?: Can I use **alleviate** for non-physical problems?