- 1(medical) a medicine or medical treatment that reduces pain without curing its cause Aromatherapy can be used as a palliative.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2(formal) (usually disapproving) an action, a decision, etc. that is designed to make a difficult situation seem better without actually solving the cause of the problems Grants by themselves provide little more than a temporary palliative to ailing industries.
palliative treatment short-term palliative measuresSee palliative in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: palliative