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

Comey argues that Trump does not make decisions on the basis of philosophical, religious or logical considerations, but simply to assuage the deficiencies of his own character and emotional makeup. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "Comey's psychoanalysis: Trump's always trying to fill an emotional hole," 26 Apr. 2018 Though the government has sought to assuage concerns of EU citizens in Britain about their future, talk of Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal on future relations is adding to uncertainty. — Pan Pylas, The Seattle Times, "EU workers leave UK in record numbers as Brexit looms," 13 Nov. 2018 Fourth-quarter results helped assuage some worries. — Telis Demos, WSJ, "Bank Investors Look Beyond Trading Revenue to Deliver Strong Gains," 20 Jan. 2019 Advocates for gender equality and racial justice have been concerned about Kavanaugh since his nomination, and his responses during his confirmation hearings did nothing to assuage their worries. — Kay Steiger, Vox, "4 winners and 3 losers from Brett Kavanaugh’s many-hour, multi-day confirmation hearings," 7 Sep. 2018 Twitter’s new toggle seeks to assuage both types of usage. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Twitter is making it easier to toggle between latest and top tweets," 1 Nov. 2018 To safely enjoy the water, assuage your fears by following these precautionary measures suggested by experts: Look for beach signage. — Cassie Shortsleeve, Condé Nast Traveler, "Should I Worry About Sharks in the Northeast?," 21 Sep. 2018 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

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.