removal of anxiety / pain
1 [U,sing.] the feeling of happiness that you have when sth unpleasant stops or does not happen:
a sense of relief * We all breathed a sigh of relief when he left. * She sighed with relief. * Much to my relief the car was not damaged. * News of their safety came as a great relief. * It was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it. * What a relief!
2 [U] ~ (from / of sth) the act of removing or reducing pain, anxiety, etc:
modern methods of pain relief * the relief of misery / poverty / suffering * Massage can bring some relief from tension. * Volunteers provide regular help to give relief to carers.
help
3 [U] food, money, medicine, etc. that is given to help people in places where there has been a war or natural disaster:
famine relief * a relief agency / organization / worker * relief aid / supplies
4 [U] (especially AmE) financial help given by the government to people who need it
on tax
5 [U] = TAXRELIEF:
relief on mortgage interest payments
sth different
6 [U,sing.] ~ (from sth) something that is interesting or enjoyable that replaces sth boring, difficult or unpleasant for a short period of time:
a few moments of light relief in an otherwise dull performance * There was little comic relief in his speech. * The calm of the countryside came as a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of city life.
workers
7 [C+sing./pl.v.] (often used as an adjective) a person or group of people that replaces another when they have finished working for the day or when they are sick:
The next crew relief comes on duty at 9 o'clock. * relief drivers
from enemy
8 [sing.] ~ of... the act of freeing a town, etc. from an enemy army that has surrounded it:
the relief of Mafeking
in art
9 [U,C] a way of decorating wood, stone, etc. by cutting designs into the surface of it so that some parts stick out more than others; a design that is made in this way:
The column was decorated in high relief (= with designs that stick out a lot) with scenes from Greek mythology. * The bronze doors are covered with sculpted reliefs.
seealsoBAS-RELIEF
making sth noticeable
10 [U] the effect of colours, light, etc. that makes an object more noticeable than others around it:
The snow-capped mountain stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.
11 [U] the quality of a particular situation, problem, etc. that makes it more noticeable than before:
Their differences have been thrown into sharp relief by the present crisis.
