Word · Frequency #27772
palliative
缓和物；缓解剂
a remedy that alleviates pain without curing
- 1.
Something that palliates, particularly a palliative medicine.
起缓解作用的事物,尤指缓解性药物。
起缓解作用的事物,尤指缓解性药物。；辩解；缓和物
In use
The doctor prescribed a palliative to ease her pain while she waited for the test results.
Some people view medication as only a palliative, not a real cure for the underlying condition.
For patients with advanced diseases, palliatives can greatly improve quality of life even if full recovery is impossible.
be palliative
形容词作表语，表示“缓解症状的、治标不治本的”；常与 not curative 对举。
This treatment is palliative, not curative.
这种治疗是缓解性的，而不是治愈性的。
be a palliative for [sth]
名词用法，可数；后接 for 说明所缓解的对象，强调只能缓解而不能根治。
The medicine is a palliative for chronic pain.
这种药物是慢性疼痛的缓解剂。
Common mistakes
This medicine can palliative the pain.This medicine can palliate the pain.
palliative 是形容词或名词，不是动词；表示“减轻、缓和”的动词是 palliate。
We need palliative for the pain.We need a palliative for the pain.
palliative 作名词“缓和物”时为可数名词，单数形式前需加冠词 a/an。
Connections
Collocations
- palliative care
- 缓和医疗；姑息照护
- Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses.缓和医疗能改善重病患者的生活质量。
- palliative treatment
- 姑息治疗；缓和治疗
- Doctors recommended palliative treatment to reduce her pain.医生建议采用姑息治疗来减轻她的疼痛。
- palliative measures
- 缓解措施；治标手段
- The government's palliative measures did not address the root cause of the crisis.政府的缓解措施并没有解决危机的根本原因。
- palliative effect
- 缓解作用
- The drug has only a palliative effect; it cannot cure the disease.这种药只有缓解作用，无法治愈疾病。
- as a palliative
- 作为缓解手段
- He used humor as a palliative for his anxiety.他把幽默当作缓解焦虑的手段。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想 pall（罩布）盖住疼痛，只是暂时缓解难受、不能根治；palliative care 即姑息治疗。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：医疗、学术写作、政策讨论 作名词表示缓解措施或姑息治疗时，通常用于正式或专业语境，如医疗、学术或政策讨论，日常口语中较少使用。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这些词都以 -iative 结尾，但发音不押韵：palliative 重音在首音节 /ˈpæli.eɪtɪv/；initiative、appreciative、associative、dissociative、depreciative 多把 -iative 弱读为 /ətɪv/ 或 /ʃətɪv/，且重音多在第二音节；radiative 读 /ˈreɪdiˌeɪtɪv/，首音节元音为 /eɪ/。它们只是拼写相似的形近词，不能按拼写猜读音。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.