relief (n.)

  1. the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced; as he heard the news he was suddenly flooded with relief

    [ Syn: alleviation , assuagement ]

  2. sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background

    [ Syn: relievo , rilievo , embossment , sculptural relief ]

  3. the act of freeing a city or town that has been besieged; he asked for troops for the relief of Atlanta'

  4. the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress); he enjoyed his relief from responsibility; getting it off his conscience gave him some ease

    [ Syn: ease ]

  5. (law) redress awarded by a court; was the relief supposed to be protection from future harm or compensation for past injury?'

  6. someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes; we need extra employees for summer fill-ins

    [ Syn: stand-in , substitute , reliever , backup , backup man , fill-in ]

  7. assistance in time of difficulty; the contributions provided some relief for the victims

    [ Syn: succor , succour , ministration ]

  8. a pause for relaxation; people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests

    [ Syn: respite , rest , rest period ]

  9. a change for the better

    [ Syn: easing , moderation ]

  10. aid for the aged or indigent or handicapped; he has been on relief for many years'

  11. the act of reducing something unpleasant (as pain or annoyance); he asked the nurse for relief from the constant pain

    [ Syn: easing , easement , alleviation ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.