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.
Mortiz’s big purchase could allay worries that other insiders want to dump shares now that the six-month lock-up period for selling the stock expired this week.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to allay fears about the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, mentioning a forthcoming “series of announcements” by the administration to support the shipping trade.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 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
In July, the council sent a letter to 40 residents at the mobile home park to "allay concerns" about the land.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
She was bien souffrante, and she was filled with vague dread, which only her husband’s presence could allay.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
