爱华网【英语词汇】
relieve、alleviate、ease、
lightenmitigate
佳中
relieve
alleviate
ease
这三个词是常用词，用于表示“减轻”疼痛、痛苦、负担等，或表示“缓解”精神压力，
紧张等。
relieve指较大幅度地减轻疼痛、痛苦、负担等，也可表示“因……而感到安慰”。
1) This medicine will relieve yourheadache.这药将减轻你的头痛
2）The Government acted quickly torelieve the widespread distress caused by
the earthquake
地震造成大范围的灾难，政府迅速采取行动赈济灾民。
3) However, at thistime of economic downturn, it is our responsibility tohelp
relieve the hardships faced by thecommunity
但是，在目前经济低迷的情况下，我们有责任帮助纾解民困。
4) The good newsrelieved us, for we had been very anxious aboutit.
这好消息使我松了一口气，因为我们对这件事一直很着急。
5）Shewas relieved to learn of her family’ssafety.
她听说家人平安就放心了。
● relieve …… of …….解除/减轻某人某事
1）A veryfunny joke may relieve you of a whole day'sfatigue
一则非常滑稽的笑话可以使你消除一天的疲劳。
2)Gradually, the computer will relieve man of allmonotonous, dull routine
work.
计算机将逐渐使人们摆脱单调枯燥的日常工作。
3)The adoption of this new policy would relieve the unionsof a tremendous
burden.
采纳这一新政策将会减轻工会的沉重负担。
alleviate指局部减轻痛苦、负担、压力、困难等，使某事变得能够忍受。
1) The doctor had to use morphine toalleviate the pain of the terminally ill
patients.
医生不得不使用吗啡来减轻临终病人的痛苦。
2）He suffered quite a lot from the matter and could onlyalleviate the sorrow
bydrinking.
这件事使他很痛苦，他只能借酒浇愁。
3）Planting trees is one of ways to alleviate the greehouseeffect.
种树是一种有效的减轻温室效应的方法。
4）the moves should help to alleviate market stresses, butare incremental
rather thantransformational".
这些举措应有助于减轻市场压力，但只是量变而非质变。
ease也可表示“减轻”、“缓和”，因而变得轻松、安心。
1) The doctor gave me some medicine to easethepain.
医生给我一些药减轻我的疼痛。
2）The secretary general do much to ease the tension in thearea.
秘书长对缓和那个地区的紧张局势做了很多工作。
3）From now on, we will have to do what we can to ease theeconomic crisis of
the company.
从现在起,我们将尽我们所能来缓解公司的经济危机。
4)A good textbook goes a long way towards easing the teacher’stask.
一本好的教科书能大大减轻教师的教育工作。
● ease …… of …….消除/减轻某人某事
1）The doctor promised that themedicine he had prescribed would ease thepoor
man of hissuffering.
医生保证他开的药能减轻这可怜的男人的痛苦。
2)The canal system should be made full used of to ease theroads of some of
theirheavytraffic.
要充分利用运河系统以缓解陆地道路交通拥挤的状况。
lighten
mitigate
lighten普通用词，用于表示减轻重量、负担或精神压力。
1) Seeing the possibility of sinking, the captain had toorders sailors to
lightenthe ship of hercargo.
眼看船要沉没,船长不得不命令水手把船上的一些货物扔掉。
2）If you want tolighten the weight, had better eat fattingfood.
如果你想减轻体重，最好少吃脂肪食物。
3) Innovation is thebest way to overcome and lighten the pressure onenterprise
choices.
创新是克服和减轻企业的决择压力的最好方法。
4）Congressendeavored to pass through the bill to lighten thetaxpayers' burden.
国会努力想通过减轻纳税人的负担的提案。
5)Her heart lightened at once when she heard thenews.
听到这消息，她心情一下轻松了。
mitigate正式用词，语气较文雅，常用来指减轻或抑制窘困、痛苦、艰辛、风险、危
害等。
1)Don’t worry too much about him. I believe that time willmitigate his
sorrow.
不要太担心他，我相信时间会减轻（冲淡）他的悲伤。
2) The judge decided tomitigate the man’s sentence in the light of hisprevious
record.
根据此人以前的表现，法官决定给他减刑。
3）The civil aviationdepartment shall take effective measures tomitigate
environmental noisepollution.
民航部门应当采取有效措施，减轻环境噪声污染
4) Some urgentmeasures have taken to to protect against andmitigate
earthquakedisasters and toensure the safety of the people's lives and
property.
已经采取一些紧迫措施来防御和减轻地震灾害以及保护人民生命和财产安全。
