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   Re·lief

   /rəˈlēf/

   

   noun

   • 1. a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress: "much to her relief, she saw the door open" Similar reassuranceconsolationcomfortsolacecalmnessrelaxationreposeease
   • ▪ a cause of or occasion for relief: "it was a relief to find somewhere to stay"
   • ▪ the alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress: "tablets for the relief of pain" Similar alleviationalleviatingrelievingmitigationmitigatingassuagementassuagingpalliationallayingappeasementsoothingeasingdullinglesseningreductionabatementfreedomreleaseliberationdeliveranceexemptiondischargeOpposite intensification
   • ▪ a temporary break in a generally tense or tedious situation: "the comic characters aren't part of the plot but just light relief" Similar respiteremissionlighteningbrighteningamusementdiversionentertainmentjollityjollificationrecreationinterruptionbreakinformal:letupOpposite seriousnesssolemnity
   • 2. assistance, especially in the form of food, clothing, or money, given to those in special need or difficulty: "raising money for famine relief" Similar helpaidassistancesuccorcaresustenancesubsidybenefitcharitygiftsdonationsfinancial assistancedebt remissiona helping handa leg up
   • ▪ a remission of tax normally due: "people who donate money to charity will receive tax relief"
   • ▪ the redress of a hardship or grievance.
   • ▪ the action of raising the siege of a besieged town: "the relief of Mafeking"
   • 3. a person or group of people replacing others who have been on duty: "the relief nurse was late" Similar replacementsubstitutedeputyreservestandbystopgapcoverstand-insupplyfill-inlocumlocum tenensunderstudyproxysurrogate
   • ▪ the role of a relief pitcher.
   • 4. the state of being clearly visible or obvious due to being accentuated in some way: "the setting sun threw the snow-covered peaks into relief"
   • ▪ a method of molding, carving, or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, to a greater (high relief) or lesser (bas-relief) extent: "he cast them in relief from molten metal"
   • ▪ a piece of sculpture in relief.
   • ▪ a representation of relief given by an arrangement of line or color or shading.
   • ▪ difference in height from the surrounding terrain; the amount of variation in elevation and slope in a particular area: "the sharp relief of many mountains"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French, from relever ‘raise up, relieve’, from Latin relevare ‘raise again, alleviate’.

   Scrabble Points: 9

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