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# palliative

adjective (palliative); noun (a palliative, palliatives — formal)

«palliative» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (medicine) Palliative care is care that keeps a very ill person comfortable and free from pain when their illness cannot be cured. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#m1)
2. (formal) Palliative means making a problem feel less bad for now without fixing its cause. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#m2)
3. (noun, formal) A palliative is something that eases pain or a problem for a while. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#m3)

### In the lessons

In everyday life children may hear the word when a grandparent is very ill and goes into palliative care or a hospice; it tells the reader that doctors are now caring for comfort, not cure. In the formal exam voice it describes a quick fix that hides a problem. Phrases: palliative care, a palliative care nurse, only a palliative.

### Examples

- Grandad is now in palliative care at the hospice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x1)
- The palliative care nurses made sure Nan was not in pain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x2)
- Palliative care helps people stay comfortable and calm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x3)
- The family could visit every day during his palliative care. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x4)
- (formal) Painting over the crack was only a palliative measure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x5)
- (formal) Extra homework club is a palliative, not a cure, for the reading problem. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x6)
- A palliative doctor talks gently with the patient and the family. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/#x7)

### Note

Say PAL-ee-uh-tiv. Mostly used as an adjective before a noun (palliative care, palliative treatment). Palliative care does not mean doctors have stopped caring; it means the care is about comfort, dignity and family time. A sensitive word: use it kindly.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «palliative» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palliative/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«palliative» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/palliative.html) on Mova free.