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Curtail vs Alleviate - What's the difference?

curtail | alleviate |

In lang=en terms the difference between curtail and alleviate

is that curtail is to shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate while alleviate is to make less severe, as a pain or difficulty.

As verbs the difference between curtail and alleviate

is that curtail is (obsolete) to cut short the tail of an animal while alleviate is to make less severe, as a pain or difficulty.

As a noun curtail

is (architecture) a scroll termination, as of a step, etc.

curtail

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (obsolete) To cut short the tail of an animal
  • ''Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.
  • To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
  • When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.
  • (figuratively) To limit or restrict, keep in check.
  • Their efforts to curtail spending didn't quite succeed.
  • * Macaulay
  • Our incomes have been curtailed ; his salary has been doubled.

    Synonyms

    * (animal's tail) crop, dock * shorten * behedge, control, limit, restrain

    Derived terms

    * curtailer * curtailment

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (architecture) A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.
  • Anagrams

    *

    alleviate

    English

    Verb

  • To make less severe, as a pain or difficulty.
  • Alcohol is often a cheap tool to alleviate the stress of a hard day.

    Synonyms

    * address, allay, ameliorate, assuage, ease, mitigate, relieve