English Reference

Word

relieving

Phoneticsre·liev·ing

US/ɹiˈɫivɪŋ/

UK/ɹɪlˈiːvɪŋ/

Definition

adj. making a bad feeling, such as pain or stress, less strong. It helps you feel better by taking away some of the discomfort.

adj. providing a reduction in pain, distress, or pressure. Often used as a participial adjective to describe substances, actions, or experiences that mitigate physical or emotional discomfort.

Examples

“The cool water had a relieving effect on my burnt skin.”

“After a long day of hiking, taking off her heavy boots was a deeply relieving experience.”

“The government implemented several relieving measures to assist small businesses struggling with the sudden increase in energy costs.”

Examples

simple

“The cool water had a relieving effect on my burnt skin.”

contextual

“After a long day of hiking, taking off her heavy boots was a deeply relieving experience.”

complex

“The government implemented several relieving measures to assist small businesses struggling with the sudden increase in energy costs.”

Usage

Often used as a participial adjective before a noun or after a linking verb like 'be' or 'feel'.

Etymology

From relieve + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/relieving

English Reference