relieved

relieved — adjective

1. feeling calm and pleased because a worry or an unwanted situation is over or nev

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling calm and pleased because a worry or an unwanted situation is over or never came

Example

Linh was relieved to hear that her test results showed no serious problems.

relieved + to-infinitive for reacting to news

The passengers looked relieved when the plane landed safely in the middle of the storm.

linking verb pattern: looked/felt/seemed + relieved

Common collocations
  • visibly relieved
  • greatly relieved
  • secretly relieved
  • relieved smile
  • relieved sigh
  • relieved look
Synonyms
  • reassured

    focuses on having worries removed by someone else's action or words

  • thankful

    adds a sense of gratitude to the relief

  • comforted

    suggests emotional soothing rather than just the absence of a problem

  • glad

    more general; does not imply that worry was present beforehand

Antonyms
  • worried

    state of being anxious before the outcome is known

  • anxious

    stronger, more nervous form of worry

  • concerned

    milder, often about something ongoing rather than resolved

Grammar Patterns

relieved + to-infinitive

relieved + that-clause

relieved + at/about + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Commonly used with linking verbs such as feel, look, seem, and sound. Can also appear before a noun (attributive position), as in a relieved smile or a relieved sigh.

Common Mistakes

I am relieve that the exam is over.
I am relieved that the exam is over.
'Relieved' is the adjective form; 'relieve' is a verb.
I felt relieving when I got the good news.
I felt relieved when I got the good news.
'Relieved' describes your feeling; 'relieving' describes something that removes discomfort.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe positive feelings, but they differ in focus and intensity. Relieved specifically involves the removal of worry — you feel relieved when something bad was expected but didn't happen or has stopped. Reassured implies that someone else actively gave you confidence, removing your doubt. Thankful adds gratitude, usually toward a person, fate, or higher power. Comforted is softer and more personal — it suggests emotional soothing during a difficult time rather than the end of a problem. Glad is the broadest and weakest of the group; it does not require prior worry. For example: 'I was relieved the storm missed our town' (worry lifted), 'The doctor reassured me that the cough was not serious' (someone removed my fear), 'I was thankful that my neighbour offered to drive me to the airport' (gratitude + relief), and 'She felt comforted by her sister's hug' (emotional soothing).

reassuredthankful ↗comfortedglad ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • more relieved than I can say
  • relieved beyond words

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Relieved comes from the verb relieve, which entered English through Old French relever, from Latin relevare, meaning 'to lift up again' or 'to lighten'. The prefix re- means 'again', and levare means 'to lift' (related to levis, 'light in weight'). Over time, the physical sense of lifting a burden shifted to the emotional sense of having a mental weight taken away. By the 1500s, relieved was used in English as an adjective describing someone freed from pain, worry, or difficulty.