verb
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to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
-
(tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)
Related Words
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
- allayer noun
- unallayed adjective
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; allege ) to alleviate, allay
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.
The new offer looks to allay concerns about the value of the deal being subject to the variability of Netflix’s stock price, while also accelerating the path to a shareholder vote.
An evaluation of her living space would help allay those concerns.
From MarketWatch
In a bid to allay fears, the European Commission announced a crisis fund and safeguards allowing for the suspension of preferential tariffs in case of a damaging surge in imports.
From Barron's
"This is the biggest free trade agreement we have negotiated," EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said Wednesday after 11th-hour talks to allay the concerns of some member states, describing it as a "landmark" pact.
From Barron's
He has in recent weeks sought to allay voter anxiety about the cost of living in the US, with home affordability high on the list of Americans' concerns.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
