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allay

American  
[uh-ley] / əˈleɪ /

verb (used with object)

allayed, allaying
  1. to put (fear, doubt, suspicion, anger, etc.) to rest; calm; quiet.

    Synonyms:
    assuage, soften
    Antonyms:
    excite
  2. to lessen or relieve; mitigate; alleviate.

    to allay pain.

    Synonyms:
    ease, temper, mollify, lighten

allay British  
/ əˈleɪ /

verb

  1. to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved

  2. (tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Ultimately, the FDA decided not enough data existed to allay the known safety concerns.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

President Trump moved to allay those concerns on Friday, meeting with defense industry executives.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

The key question is whether the convenience of fenebrutinib’s oral dosing is enough to allay regulator and physician concerns over safety, according to Citi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Now that the CyberArk and Chronosphere acquisitions have closed, she looks forward to the company providing a “clearer picture” on its growth prospects going forward, which she said should further allay investor worries.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

In a somewhat mistaken attempt to allay fears, he added that the planes had emergency valves that would allow them to dump their entire load instantaneously.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson