PALLIATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does palliation mean? 

• PALLIATION (noun)
  The noun PALLIATION has 2 senses:

1. easing the severity of a pain or a disease without removing the cause

2. to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious

  Familiarity information: PALLIATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PALLIATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Easing the severity of a pain or a disease without removing the cause

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("palliation" is a kind of...):

alleviation; easement; easing; relief (the act of reducing something unpleasant (as pain or annoyance))

Derivation:

palliate (provide physical relief, as from pain)

Sense 2

Meaning:

To act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

extenuation; mitigation; palliation

Hypernyms ("palliation" is a kind of...):

decrease; diminution; reduction; step-down (the act of decreasing or reducing something)

Derivation:

palliate (lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of)

 Context examples 

Palliation helps a patient feel more comfortable and improves the quality of life, but does not cure the disease.

(Palliation, NCI Dictionary)

It may be performed for temporary or permanent pain palliation.

(Neural Block, NCI Thesaurus)

This volume must be treated adequately in order to achieve the aim of therapy, cure or palliation.

(Clinical Target Volume, NCI Thesaurus)

He was anxious, while vindicating himself, to say nothing unkind of the others: but there was only one amongst them whose conduct he could mention without some necessity of defence or palliation.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

She could neither wonder nor condemn, but the belief of his self-conquest brought nothing consolatory to her bosom, afforded no palliation of her distress.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)