assuage

American  

[uh-sweyj, uh-sweyzh] / əˈsweɪdʒ, əˈsweɪʒ /

verb (used with object)

assuaged, assuaging

1. to make milder or less severe; alleviate; ease; mitigate.

   to assuage one's grief;

   to assuage one's pain.

   Synonyms:

   relieve, lessen, diminish, allay

2. to appease; satisfy; sate.

   to assuage one's hunger.

3. to soothe, calm, or mollify.

   to assuage his fears;

   to assuage her anger.

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assuage British  

/ əˈsweɪdʒ, əˈsweɪsɪv /

verb

1. to soothe, moderate, or relieve (grief, pain, etc)

2. to give relief to (thirst, appetite, etc); satisfy

3. to pacify; calm

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Other Word Forms

• assuagement noun
• assuager noun
• assuasive adjective
• unassuaging adjective

Etymology

Origin of assuage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aswagen, from Old French asouagier, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin assuāviāre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + -suāviāre, verbal derivative of Latin suāvis “agreeable to the taste, pleasant” ( suave; akin to sweet )

Example Sentences

The strategists also shared three things that corporate leaders should do to assuage investors’ concerns over AI.

From MarketWatch

Casting Hannibal as an implacable enemy of Rome from his earliest childhood merely served to assuage Roman guilt for Carthage’s terrible end.

From The Wall Street Journal

Americans are understandably anxious about artificial intelligence, and politicians are eager to assuage their fears before the midterm elections.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sarandos also tried to assuage concerns about the deal’s potential effect on theatrical distribution.

From Los Angeles Times

The hope seems to be that a vibe shift might be enough to assuage angsty voters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allay
• alleviate
• appease
• lessen
• mitigate
• mollify
• pacify
• placate
• quench
• sate
• satisfy
• soften
• temper