[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

alleviation \alle`via"tion\, n. ll. alleviatio.
   1. the act of alleviating; a lightening of weight or
      severity; mitigation; relief.
      1913 webster

   2. that which mitigates, or makes more tolerable.
      1913 webster

            i have not wanted such alleviations of life as
            friendship could supply.              --johnson.
      1913 webster

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

alleviation
     n 1: the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed
          or reduced; "as he heard the news he was suddenly
          flooded with relief" syn: relief, assuagement
     2: the act of reducing something unpleasant as pain or
        annoyance; "he asked the nurse for relief from the
        constant pain" syn: easing, easement, relief
see also:
relief assuagement easing easement 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

80 moby thesaurus words for "alleviation":
   abatement, abridgment, allayment, analgesia, anesthesia,
   anesthetizing, appeasement, assuagement, attenuation, blunting,
   calming, contraction, dampening, damping, deadening, decrease,
   decrement, decrescence, deduction, deflation, demulsion,
   depreciation, depression, diminishment, diminution, disburdening,
   disencumberment, dulcification, dulling, dying, dying off, ease,
   easement, easing, extenuation, fade-out, falling-off, hushing,
   languishment, leniency, lessening, letdown, letup, lightening,
   loosening, lowering, lulling, miniaturization, mitigation,
   modulation, mollification, numbing, pacification, palliation,
   quietening, quieting, reduction, relaxation, relief, remedy,
   remission, sagging, salving, scaling down, simplicity, slackening,
   softening, soothing, subduement, subtraction, tempering,
   tranquilization, unballasting, unburdening, unfreighting, unlading,
   unloading, unsaddling, untaxing, weakening

Alleviation >> A Words
Alleviation, definition of term: Alleviation
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