verb
-
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.
These have done little to allay her worries.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 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
Rising yields could put pressure on the BOJ to allay worry about inflation by lifting interest rates, which would tend to push up the yen.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 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
The little rest she’d gotten, asleep in Lazlo’s dream, hadn’t even begun to allay her fatigue.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
