relief
[noun]
Synonyms:
- ease, comfort, cure, deliverance, mitigation, release, remedy, solace
- rest, break, breather (informal), relaxation, respite
- aid, assistance, help, succour, support

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Antonyms: anguish
Related Words: lightening, softening, allayment, appeasement, assuagement, mollification

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧lief S2 W2 /rɪˈliːf/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: relever; ⇒ relieve]

1. COMFORT [singular, uncountable] a feeling of comfort when something frightening, worrying, or painful has ended or has not happened ⇒ relieve:
I felt a huge surge of relief and happiness.
with relief
He watched with relief as the girl nodded.
in relief
He laughed in relief.
No one was hurt, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
it is a relief to see/have/know etc something
I hate to say it, but it was a relief to have him out of the house.
to sb’s relief
To my relief, they spoke English.
what a relief/that’s a relief
The doctor said it was just the flu. What a relief!

2. REDUCTION OF PAIN [uncountable] when something reduces someone’s pain or unhappy feelings:
Marijuana can provide pain relief for some cancer patients.
relief of
the relief of suffering
relief from
The cool room provided relief from the terrible heat outdoors.

3. HELP [uncountable] money, food, clothes etc given to people who are poor or hungry:
money raised for the relief effort
disaster/famine/flood etc relief
famine relief for victims of the drought

4. REPLACEMENT [uncountable] a person or group of people that replaces another one and does their work after they have finished:
the relief for the military guard
a relief driver

5. DECORATION [uncountable and countable] a way of decorating wood, stone etc with a shape or figure that is raised above the surface, or the decoration itself ⇒ bas relief
in relief
figures carved in relief

6. bring/throw something into relief (also stand out in relief) to make something very noticeable, or to be very noticeable
sharp/stark relief
The tree stood out in stark relief against the snow.
The article throws into sharp relief the differences between the two theories.

7. light/comic relief a funny moment during a serious film, book, or situation:
a moment of comic relief

8. MONEY [uncountable] old-fashioned especially American English money given by the government to help people who are poor, old, unemployed etc Synonym : welfare
on relief
families on relief during the Depression

9. WAR [uncountable] formal the act of freeing a town when it has been surrounded by an enemy
relief of
the relief of Mafeking

10. MAP in relief if you show a part of the Earth’s surface in relief, you show the differences in height between different parts of it
⇒ tax relief

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

relief
noun
I. removal of anxiety/pain
ADJ. considerable, deep, enormous, great, huge, immense, intense, overwhelming, tremendous | certain The news of his appointment was received with a certain relief by most people.
sheer | complete | temporary The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain.
fast, immediate, instant | evident, obvious She smiled with evident relief.
blessed, welcome | pain The injection gives complete pain relief.
VERB + RELIEF bring (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) Morning brought no relief from the heat.
come as The news came as a welcome relief to Brian.
seek She sought relief in drink.
find, get He found relief from his fears in a world of fantasy and art.
experience, feel I felt enormous relief once they phoned.
sense She could sense his relief when she said she wouldn't be leaving.
express
RELIEF + VERB come He believes that relief only comes from helping others with their suffering.
flood Relief flooded through me as the aeroplane landed safely.
PREP. in ~ She smiled in relief.
out of ~ He hugged her out of sheer relief.
to your ~ To my great relief, she didn't notice that anything was wrong.
with ~ He sighed with relief.
~ at relief at not having been made a fool of
~ from relief from hunger
~ to The news was a huge relief to her.
PHRASES a cry/a sigh/tears of relief He breathed a sigh of relief.
a sense/wave of relief

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief
II. food/money/medicine given to people in need
ADJ. humanitarian | emergency | famine, flood | foreign, international
VERB + RELIEF give sb, provide (sb with), send (sb) The organization provides emergency famine relief.
RELIEF + NOUN work She said that the fighting has halted almost all relief work in the area.
effort, operation There was a huge international relief effort to bring help to the stricken area.
package, programme Congress has agreed an $11 million relief package for victims of the hurricane.
aid, supplies | agency, fund, organization | staff, worker | convoy, flight

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief
III. reduction in the amount of tax, etc. you have to pay
ADJ. debt, interest, mortgage, tax
VERB + RELIEF get, obtain, receive You get mortgage relief of 10% on the next £5,000.
be entitled to, qualify for | apply for, claim, seek
RELIEF + VERB be available No tax relief is available in respect of this loss.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief
IV. sth interesting that replaces sth boring
ADJ. light | comic
VERB + RELIEF give (sb), provide (sb with) The scene provided some comic relief for the audience.
PREP. for ~ The comical characters are brought into the story for a little light relief.
PHRASES a moment of relief

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief
V. way of decorating wood, stone, etc.
ADJ. high The scene has been carved in high relief.
bas, low | carved, sculptured | alabaster, bronze, marble, plaster, stucco | classical, Greek, Roman
VERB + RELIEF carve (sth) in
RELIEF + NOUN carving, sculpture | panel
PREP. in ~ a sculpture in high relief

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief
VI. making sth noticeable
ADJ. sharp, stark
VERB + RELIEF bring sth into, throw sth into (often figurative) The proximity of the wealthy suburb to the squatter camp throws the plight of the squatters into even sharper relief.
stand out in The snow-capped mountains stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relief

a great/enormous/tremendous etc relief
It was a great relief to him when she returned safely.
a welcome relief
The holiday was a welcome relief from the pressure of work.
come as a relief
The court's decision came as a huge relief to Microsoft.
feel relief
I felt nothing but relief when it was over.
relief floods through somebody literary
When she heard he was still alive, relief flooded through her.
a sense/feeling of relief
She was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief.
breathe/heave a sigh of relief
United fans breathed a huge sigh of relief as Drogba's shot was tipped over the bar.
what a relief
What a relief to be able to say what I really feel!
such a relief
It's just such a relief to have found someone!
disaster/emergency relief
Our objective is to provide food aid and emergency relief to developing countries.
famine/flood relief
We donated $1,000 to the American Red Cross for flood relief.
a relief agency/organization
Relief agencies reported that many of the refugees had arrived in a terrible condition.
relief supplies/aid
US troops had helped distribute relief supplies to Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq.
relief efforts
In areas severely affected by the earthquake, it is difficult to coordinate relief efforts.
a relief operation
UN officials accused the government of obstructing relief operations in the south of the country.
a relief worker
The relief workers have to bring in clean drinking water by tanker.
relief work
The charity raised over five million pounds for relief work.
a relief convoy/flight
A relief convoy of 10 trucks set off with food and medical supplies.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲