relief
/rɪˈliːf
/noun [mass noun]
1A feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress: much to her relief, she saw the door open...
- There were so many feelings in this room: happiness, relief, anxiety, anger and pain.
- Like a patient leaving the hospital, she stepped out of the house on 11 Bandfield Street and gazed at the street with a blend of relief and anxiety.
- I almost screamed into the phone out of excitement, relief, anticipation, anxiety, and every other unsure feeling.
Synonyms
reassurance, consolation, comfort, solace, calmness, relaxation, repose, ease
1.1 [count noun] A cause of or occasion for relief: it was a relief to find somewhere to stay...
- With the autumn sun smiling and rain providing an occasional relief, the season has set in with a vibrant and colourful note.
- It is also a relief to see him in a role that buries his floppy-haired, bumbling nice guy image.
- It is such a relief to know which side is right, and downright comforting to have a hero in the person of that rookie cop who blew the whistle on the six bad cops.
1.2The alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress: tablets for the relief of pain...
- When other therapies fail to provide relief from the pain of a damaged hip, hip replacement may be the answer.
- Thus, the clinician's goal is to promote relief from pain and promote functional recovery.
- Is there a treatment that can bring relief from the pain and muscle stiffness?
Synonyms
alleviation, alleviating, relieving, mitigation, mitigating, assuagement, assuaging, palliation, allaying, appeasement, soothing, easing, dulling, lessening, reduction, abatement
freedom, release, liberation, deliverance, exemption, discharge
1.3 (usually light relief) Something interesting or enjoyable that provides a short respite from a tense or tedious situation: the kiss-and-tell tale gave the nation some light relief from page after page of war coverage...
- Fortunately, the programme does provide light relief.
- Indeed, the political circus may well provide light relief to an otherwise thoroughly depressing scenario.
- The first act then proceeds with the usual light relief provided by Wolfgang (the tutor) trying to prove that he can still cut a step or two with a younger woman.
Synonyms
respite, remission, lightening, brightening;
amusement, diversion, entertainment, jollity, jollification, recreation;
interruption, break
informal let-up
2Financial or practical assistance given to those in special need or difficulty: raising money for famine relief [as modifier]: relief workers...
- The focus now is completely on getting relief and assistance into these devastated areas.
- It has assisted with disaster relief in Central Asia, the Caucasus, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf region.
- The services help the Corps build dams, waterways, roads and other national infrastructure, as well as assist in disaster relief.
Synonyms
help, aid, assistance, succour, care, sustenance;
subsidy, benefit, charity, gifts, donations, financial assistance, debt remission;
a helping hand, a leg up
2.1A remission of tax normally due: employees who donate to charity will receive tax relief...
- This figure includes your own contributions, any contributions your employer may make and the tax relief you receive from the Inland Revenue.
- Special cases for years, suddenly farmers were being hit by measures common to all taxpayers, such as the ending of the roll-over relief on capital gains tax.
- Any excess relief in a tax year may be carried forward for offset against rental income arising from Irish property in future years.
2.2chiefly Law The redress of a hardship or grievance.There are some cases where judicial review courts give relief....
- The applicant in this case seeks prerogative relief under section 75 of the Constitution.
- Does this court have authority to grant the interlocutory relief sought?
2.3The action of raising the siege of a besieged town: the relief of Mafeking...
- They also were significant in limited tactical actions close to the shore such as the prosecution or relief of sieges.
- So, in the summer of 1139, while Zengi was laying siege to Damascus, a Christian army marched to its relief.
- In 1646, on the anniversary of the relief of Taunton from siege, George Newton, the minister, looked around him and described it in a sermon.
3 [usually as modifier] A person or group of people replacing others who have been on duty: the relief nurse was late...
- The first day I worked in the OR, a relief nurse came to give me a break, and I began to look forward to the morning socialization and a cup of coffee.
- Once we had this physics lesson with a relief teacher because our normal teacher was off sick and Andy pretended to be deaf.
- The question remains whether the carnage that was wrought from the air and by the relief columns was strictly necessary.
Synonyms
replacement, substitute, deputy, reserve, standby, stopgap, cover, stand-in, supply, fill-in, locum, locum tenens, understudy, proxy, surrogate
3.1British An extra vehicle providing supplementary public transport at peak times or in emergencies: the coach had broken down and a relief vehicle had taken an hour to arrive
4The state of being clearly visible or obvious due to being accentuated: the setting sun threw the snow-covered peaks into relief...
- Shocked at this, it quickly shifted into relief that he was busy with her therefore couldn't bombard her with fake concern this time.
- But these cults throw into relief the more usual pattern.
- This respondent throws into relief the transition he has made from one mode to the other.
4.1A method of moulding, carving, or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, to a greater (high relief) or lesser (low relief) extent: he cast them in relief from molten metal...
- Intaglio is a type of incised relief in which the design does not project from the surface; rather it is cut into it, sinking below the surface.
- Previous Pharaohs had followed the rule that, in temple design, incised relief was used on the exterior walls, where it could cast strong shadows.
- Later, it became more complex: cutting, putting blocks together, printing with relief and with intaglio blocks.
4.2 [count noun] A piece of sculpture in relief.Sculpture is generally classified into three major categories: intaglio, reliefs and sculpture in the round....
- The arch was inset with sculptural reliefs depicting the campaigns of the French armies in Italy, while in front and behind it there stood figures of Liberty and Triumph on circular podia.
- Although technically sculptural reliefs, these works speak to a number of painting's traditional formal concerns.
4.3A representation of relief given by an arrangement of line or colour or shading.
4.4 Geography Difference in height from the surrounding terrain: the sharp relief of many mountains...
- It took one computer artist a full year to paint terrain relief on every plate.
- Furthermore, in choosing the forward edge, it is important to take into account terrain relief, the type of soil, and the depth of the snow cover.
Via French from Italian rilievo, from rilevare 'raise', from Latin relevare
Phrases
in relief
on relief
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French, from relever 'raise up, relieve', from Latin relevare 'raise again, alleviate'.