palliating

verb

present participle of palliate
1
as in excusing
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

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2
as in alleviating
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for palliating
  1. excusing
  2. alleviating
  3. justifying
  4. relieving
  5. explaining
  6. mitigating
  7. extenuating
  8. helping
Verb
  • This story does not suggest that reconciliation requires forgetting the past or excusing harmful choices.
    — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Unable to picture evil as anything other than devilish, critics accused Arendt of excusing the perpetrators and blaming the victims.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of excusing
Verb
  • These turnovers also set up touchdowns, alleviating the pent-up stress of the first half.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Fostering gives cats a temporary home on the way to adoption, alleviating stress on shelters and, in some instances, saving cats’ lives.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of alleviating
Verb
  • Leaders must continue testing whether the assumptions justifying the original decision still hold.
    — Eric Reicin, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • As the populist argument of the day went, industry leaders had proven reckless, justifying much greater federal control.
    — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of justifying
Verb
  • Day is relieving tension from his long travel day, screaming wildly for his co-worker David.
    — Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Energy prices would quickly fall, relieving shortages and inflationary pressures.
    — RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of relieving
Verb
  • The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • China’s leading firms are still just approaching top US labs in capabilities, partly explaining their lack of transparency.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • Universal is said to have discussed the challenges in further mitigating the sound.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Richmond said the language reflects an evolution from simply mitigating the company’s environmental footprint toward thinking about how the business can actively give back to people and the planet.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of mitigating
Verb
  • Other extenuating circumstances beyond Goodman’s control also might be contributing to his reputation within the industry as a subpar defender.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • But, generally, only one property can be claimed, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of extenuating
Verb
  • Guests are welcome to contribute to the fun by helping forage for ingredients.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Cho Eun-hee | South Korea Chef and culinary educator Cho Eun-hee is helping to transform Korean food from a pop-culture fad to global fine dining.
    — Ashleigh Nghiem, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of helping
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Palliating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palliating. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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