palliative

/ˈpæliˌeɪtɪv/
noun
  1. Something that provides relief from symptoms or makes a problem less severe without curing it.
    • For many, a warm bath is a palliative for stress.
    • The new law was a palliative, not a cure, for the economic crisis.
    • Aspirin is a common palliative for headaches.
adjective
  1. Relating to or providing relief from the symptoms of a disease without curing it.
    • She received palliative radiation to shrink the tumor and reduce pain.
    • Palliative treatments focus on comfort rather than a cure.
    • The hospital has a special palliative care unit for patients with serious illnesses.
  2. Serving to make a problem or bad situation seem less serious without fixing it.
    • His speech was full of palliative words but offered no real change.
    • Offering a discount was a palliative measure to calm angry customers.
    • The manager's promises were only palliative, not a real solution to the staffing shortage.
Antonyms
What does "palliative" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean