Definition of ASSUAGE

Choose the Right Synonym for assuage

relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay mean to make something less grievous. relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable. took an aspirin to relieve the pain alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress. the lotion alleviated the itching lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight. good news would lighten our worries assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable. ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful. the need to mitigate barbaric laws allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms. allayed their fears

Assuage Stays Sweet Over Time

Scholars assume that the word assuage derives from assuaviare, a Vulgar Latin term that combines the prefix ad- (to or toward) and the Latin suavis, meaning "sweet," pleasant, or agreeable. (Suavis is also the source of the adjective suave.) To assuage is to sweeten or make agreeable or tolerable, and it is far from the only English word for relieving or softening something difficult. Others include allay, alleviate, and mitigate. Allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms, while alleviate implies a temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress. Mitigate suggests moderating or countering the force or intensity of something painful.

Examples of assuage in a Sentence

Life contains sorrows that cannot be assuaged, and it is important to be honest in acknowledging this. — Jo McGowan, Commonweal, 5 May 2006 But for the second exam, my pretest diet included yogurt and ice cream (without pieces), which assuaged my hunger, and the cleansing was stimulated by a glass of salty liquid midafternoon. — Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 12 July 2005 Whatever arrangements such mothers willingly make for their children, whatever strategies they employ to relieve their guilt, whatever books they read to assuage their anxiety—all of that is their business, not mine. — Caitlin Flanagan, Atlantic, March 2004 As I've told Jody on numerous occasions, the best way for her to assuage my guilt is to hit it big in the Internet gold rush and then retire … — Matthew Miller, New Republic, 17 Jan. 2000 He couldn't assuage his guilt over the divorce. a mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark

Recent Examples on the Web

Seeking to assuage doubts, Mr. Linton argued that the church had been on a winding path to the Oahspe all along and suggested that Dr. Ignatius would have approved. — Sam Kestenbaum, New York Times, "A Forgotten Religion Gets a Second Chance in Brooklyn," 7 June 2018 Business daily Kommersant reported that Russia also may respond to the downing of its plane by becoming more reluctant to engage Iran and its proxy Hezbollah militia, to help assuage Israeli worries. — Vladimir Isachenkov, Fox News, "Russia to study Israeli data related to downed plane," 19 Sep. 2018 Twitter and Facebook are scrambling to assuage conservative leaders who have sounded alarms - and sought to rile voters - with accusations that the country's tech giants are censoring right-leaning posts, tweets and news. — Tony Romm, chicagotribune.com, "Inside Facebook and Twitter's secret meetings with Trump aides and conservative leaders," 27 June 2018 Despite the pleasing headline numbers, the company will need a big rebound in the second-half of the year to assuage investors and meet full-year financial targets. — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, "Under Armour Sows Doubt," 1 May 2018 The Cambridge Analytica revelations have forced Facebook to scramble to assuage fresh concerns by regulators and lawmakers. — Cecilia Kang, New York Times, "Facebook Faces Growing Pressure Over Data and Privacy Inquiries," 20 Mar. 2018 Critics say the extra revenue earned from production curbs is merely assuaging tensions over Mr. Bouteflika’s 19-year rule. — Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "Oil Producers Won’t Hike Output Soon, Putting a Floor on Oil Price," 23 Sep. 2018 Financial markets have wobbled as investors are led by Trump to think that the trade tensions are escalating, and then they are assuaged by another White House official suggesting that things will be resolved peacefully. — Damian Paletta, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump seeks an additional $100 billion in tariffs against China in escalation of trade confrontation," 6 Apr. 2018 Financial markets have wobbled as investors are led by Trump to think that the trade tensions are escalating, and then they are assuaged by another White House official suggesting that things will be resolved peacefully. — Damian Paletta, Washington Post, "Trump seeks additional tariffs on $100 billion of Chinese goods in escalation of trade confrontation," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assuage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.