PALLIATIVE

[adjective] [not gradable], [noun] [C] [specialized] - (being) a drug or medical treatment that reduces pain without curing the illness itselfThe hospital offers palliative chemotherapy for advanced cases of cancer.The doctor prescribed her a palliative that eased the pain, but prolonged the illness.(formal) A palliative is also something that makes a problem seem less serious but does not solve the problem or make it disappear.We want long-term solutions, not short-term palliatives.When she was depressed, she turned to food as a palliative.