allay

American  

[uh-ley] / əˈleɪ /

verb (used with object)

allays, present (3rd person singular) allayed, past participle, past allaying present participle

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

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allay British  

/ əˈleɪ /

verb

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

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

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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

• allayer
  noun
• unallayed
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has allayed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have allayed
  perfect
• have been allaying
  perfect progressive
• am allaying
  progressive 1st person singular
• is allaying
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been allaying
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• allaying
  participle
• allays
  singular 3rd person
• are allaying
  progressive

Past

• had allayed
  perfect
• were allaying
  progressive plural
• was allaying
  progressive singular
• had been allaying
  perfect progressive
• allayed
  participle
• allayed
  simple

Future

• will allay
  simple
• will have allayed
  perfect
• will have been allaying
  perfect progressive
• will be allaying
  progressive

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!

Related Words

• alleviate
• assuage
• calm
• ease
• lessen
• mitigate
• mollify
• pacify