relieve: implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it endurable or even temporarily forgotten: took drugs to ~ the pain.   （endure坚强忍受，指面对困难和考验时，具有长期坚定的决心implies meeting trials and difficulties with continued firm resolution，如endured the years of neglect and rejection坚强地忍受了许多年的忽视和拒绝，参见2017-12-11 忍受bear-stand）  解脱relief


alleviate: implies a temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress: new buildings that will help to ~ the housing shortage.


lighten: implies a reducing of a burdensome or depressing weight and often connotes a cheering influence: good news that ~ed his worries.   light轻的  （cheer欢快喝彩干杯，词组cheer someone up表示使人高兴振作起来means to stop feeling depressed and become more cheerful，如I think he misses her terribly. You might cheer him up他太想念她了，你或许能让他高兴起来，如the good news really cheered me up好消息让我倍加振奋）  


assuage: implies the softening or sweetening of what is harsh and disagreeable: hoped that a vacation would ~ the pain of the divorce.    这个词不难记，assuage有两个s，解释中两个词soften,sweeten也是以s开头，再结合例句，记住这个词主要用于心理痛苦，以后就可以熟练应用了


mitigate: suggests a moderating or countering of the effects of something inflicting or likely to inflict pain or distress: ocean breezes ~d the intense heat.   moderate表示有节制不过度implies absence or avoidance of excess最好死记下来    （解释中说mitigate表示moderate缓和调节或counter反对反制抵消，如the British government has decided it can mitigate the risks arising from the use of Huawei Technologies in 5G networks英国政府得出结论，可以缓解华为5G设备风险)


allay: implies an effective calming or soothing especially of fears or alarms: the encouraging report ~ed their fears.  （soothe缓解使平静，表示使情绪平静或减轻痛苦to make someone who is anxious or upset feel calmer, or to make a tense or painful part of the body feel more comfortable，如I've managed to soothe him down a bit我想法使他平静了一点，如this medicine should soothe your sore throat这种药会减轻你的喉痛）  


relieve减轻缓解解脱: 指足够的缓解，使人变得能忍受，甚至暂时忘记，alleviate减轻缓解: 指暂时局部地缓解压力痛苦等，lighten变轻松: 指减轻沉重压抑的负担，还常表示使人欢快，assuage减轻心理痛苦:  主要指缓解心理痛苦(soften变软sweeten变甜，对应于后边的harsh严酷disagreeable不喜欢)，mitigate缓解缓和抵消: 表示对造成压力痛苦的事物予以调节或抵消，allay减轻担心: 主要指缓解担心恐慌、使人平静


记忆方法: 1）疟疾是malaria，首字母ralama少了一个i，想成我没有疟疾<==缓解

         2）练习一下

         3）缓解的意思是减少痛苦使能忍受mean to make something less grievous or more tolerable.疟疾是malaria，首字母ralama少了一个i，想成我没有疟疾<==缓解   (grievous极严重的使人痛苦的applies to what is very serious and causes great pain or suffering，如he had been the victim of a grievous injustice他曾遭受极大不公，如grievous hurt/wound严重伤害/伤口，作副词是grievously hurt/wounded受到严重伤害/伤势严重)