allay
Americanverb (used with object)
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allays,
present (3rd person singular)
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allayed,
past participle, past
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allaying
present participle
verb
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to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
-
(tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)
Synonym Usage
Allay, moderate, soothe mean to reduce excitement or emotion. To allay is to lay to rest or lull to a sense of security, possibly by making the emotion seem unjustified: to allay suspicion, anxiety, fears. To moderate is to tone down any excess and thus to restore calm: to moderate the expression of one's grief. To soothe is to exert a pacifying or tranquilizing influence: to soothe a terrified child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allaysimple
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allayssimple
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have allayedperfect
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has allayedperfect
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am allayingprogressive
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are allayingprogressive
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is allayingprogressive
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have been allayingperfect progressive
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has been allayingperfect progressive
Past
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allayedsimple
-
had allayedperfect
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was allayingprogressive
-
were allayingprogressive
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had been allayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of allay
before 1000; Middle English aleyen, Old English ālecgan to put down, allay ( ā- a- 3 + lecgan to lay 1 ); spelling -ll- shows influence of the now obsolete allege (< Anglo-French, Old French aleg ( i ) er; see allege) to alleviate, allay
Explanation
The verb allay is used when you want to make something better or eliminate fears and concerns. When you allay something, you are calming it or reducing difficulties. It is used commonly in the context of to allay concerns and to comfort and some of its many synonyms are alleviate, decrease, mitigate, assuage and mollify. Allay comes from the Old English word alecgan, which means "to put down," as in literally "to lighten." So, if you can allay someone's fears, you are lightening their mood!
Vocabulary lists containing allay
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 11, List 6
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Twelfth Night
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
JetBlue shares rallied on Tuesday after the beleaguered airline sought to allay worries about its business, saying it’s on the cusp of being profitable again — something it hasn’t managed to accomplish since 2019.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
“I wish I could give you a response that would allay your worries, but I can’t.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
But that won't allay the disappointment among those hoping to see her run.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
In a landmark speech setting out his government's policies, Albanese sought to allay public concern over AI, saying it could be adopted in a way that enhanced the national interest.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
To allay it, I shall to-day search entire ship carefully from stem to stern.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The director of Belfast Christmas Market is hoping the suspension of roadworks in the run-up to Christmas allays concerns after recent traffic congestion in the city.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
In states that are now moving to change their procedures, lawmakers argue that creating formal rules allays security concerns and prevents bad actors from disrupting governance.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022
Now, an ambitious new study allays those fears.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 2, 2022
“Nothing in her opening statement allays that concern.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2020
The trees in every fence row show the wounds of jack-knives; stripping the bark, the boys scrape from its inner surface the thick, fragrant mucilaginous cambium—a delectable substance that allays both hunger and thirst.
From Trees Worth Knowing by Julia Ellen Rogers
The release of Anthropic’s pre-IPO financials appears to have allayed some of those concerns, at least for now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Warsh argued that the economy’s recent strength allayed such risks, opening the door to confront stubborn price increases with higher rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Surging memory costs was one area of concern ahead of Cisco’s earnings but the company allayed those fears.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Early fears that the fast-food colossus would be overly brand conscious and dictate content were allayed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Nothing they learned that day allayed their suspicion.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
It is also possible that a couple of rate hikes now, paired with reassuring language from the Fed, could lower long-term yields by allaying fears that the central bank is behind the curve on inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
January’s jobs growth was the largest since that of December 2024, allaying fears of a weakening labor market.
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
Elsewhere in Asia, the Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that the president did not intend to sign execution warrants, allaying concerns it might resume putting people to death.
From BBC ● May 28, 2024
Economic data has largely indicated that the U.S. economy remains resilient, raising hopes for a soft landing and allaying concerns of a possible recession.
From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2023
On my affording an opportunity, through the medium of the currency of the realm, of the allaying, at a later period, this beneficial evil, one of the men remarked:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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