assuage
verb
transitive verb
Edward Gibbon 
Did you know?
Assuage Stays Sweet Over Time
Scholars assume that the word assuage derives from assuaviare, a Vulgar Latin term that combines the prefix ad- ("to" or "toward") and the Latin suavis, meaning "sweet," "pleasant," or "agreeable." (Suavis is also the source of the adjective suave.) To assuage is to sweeten or make agreeable or tolerable, and it is far from the only English word for relieving or softening something difficult. Others include allay, alleviate, and mitigate. Allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms, while alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress. Mitigate suggests moderating or countering the force or intensity of something painful.
Synonyms
- allay
- alleviate
- ease
- help
- mitigate
- mollify
- palliate
- relieve
- soothe
Example Sentences
Jo McGowan, Commonweal, 5 May 2006 But for the second exam, my pretest diet included yogurt and ice cream (without pieces), which assuaged my hunger, and the cleansing was stimulated by a glass of salty liquid midafternoon. Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 12 July 2005 Whatever arrangements such mothers willingly make for their children, whatever strategies they employ to relieve their guilt, whatever books they read to assuage their anxiety—all of that is their business, not mine. Caitlin Flanagan, Atlantic, March 2004 As I've told Jody on numerous occasions, the best way for her to assuage my guilt is to hit it big in the Internet gold rush and then retire … Matthew Miller, New Republic, 17 Jan. 2000 He couldn't assuage his guilt over the divorce. a mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark See More Reuters, NBC News, 23 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile, the earnings season so far has failed to assuage growing pessimism about the macroeconomic outlook. Thyagaraju Adinarayan, Fortune, 24 Jan. 2022 The county government tweeted a list of tips to assuage the heat, including staying inside in air conditioning, drinking more water and less alcohol or caffeine, and wearing lightweight and light-colored clothing. Jason Fontelieu, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2022 Perhaps the gesture is meant to assuage your guilt — akin to buying a carbon offset. New York Times, 28 Dec. 2021 People tend to assuage their guilt by accusing others of their own transgressions. Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2021 Well-meaning people who try to control another person’s grief may misunderstand that grief is a singular experience, or may be unwittingly trying to assuage their own discomfort. Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2022 In the excitement of having signed a term sheet, investors may be tempted to consider technical due diligence (tech DD) as a formality to assuage their colleagues and limited partners. Bernard Fraenkel, Forbes, 22 June 2022 Membership applications from Sweden and Finland, galvanized by the Russian invasion, are on hold while NATO weighs how to assuage Turkey’s anger over the two nations’ relationships with Kurdish separatists. Laura Kingstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2022 See More Word History
Middle English aswagen, from Anglo-French asuager, from Vulgar Latin *assuaviare, from Latin ad- + suavis sweet — more at sweet
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
assuage
verb
assuage
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- alleviate
- relieve
- soothe
- help
- mitigate
- ease
- allay
- soften
- mollify
- heal
- palliate
- cure
- improve
- remedy
- temper
- enhance
- moderate
- lighten
- abate
- ameliorate
- rectify
- correct
- repair
- better
- fix
- amend
- enrich
- refine
- reform
- perfect
- meliorate
- emend
- mend
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hurt
- exacerbate
- aggravate
- impair
- harm
- injure
- intensify
- heighten
- sharpen
Synonyms & Similar Words
- satisfy
- satiate
- slake
- sate
- alleviate
- quench
- relieve
- gratify
- indulge
- lighten
- humor
- saturate
- surfeit
- cloy
- cater (to)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stimulate
- arouse
- excite
- pique
- tease
- tantalize
Synonyms & Similar Words
- appease
- placate
- soothe
- mollify
- comfort
- pacify
- calm
- propitiate
- satisfy
- please
- conciliate
- disarm
- console
- gentle
- delight
- ingratiate
- satiate
- tranquilize
- gratify
- quiet
- content
- tranquillize
- sate
- indulge
- gladden
- quench
- coax
- cajole
- hush
- wheedle
- humor
- flatter
- coddle
- pamper
- spoil
- overpraise
- adulate
- sweeten
- baby
- blandish
- blarney
- mollycoddle
- endear (to)
- sweet-talk
- dulcify
- cater (to)
- soft-soap
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- anger
- outrage
- inflame
- infuriate
- aggravate
- annoy
- enrage
- provoke
- irritate
- bother
- antagonize
- rouse
- get
- exasperate
- ire
- irk
- rankle
- rile
- pique
- vex
- chafe
- enflame
- burn (up)
- cross
- roil
- gall
- grate
- put out
- worry
- bug
- ruffle
- discomfort
- distress
- harass
- madden
- disturb
- upset
- agitate
- pester
- persecute
- unsettle
- perturb
- incense
- offend
- slight
- fret
- insult
- affront
- harry
- peeve
- nettle
- unhinge
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of assuage are allay, alleviate, lighten, mitigate, and relieve. While all these words mean "to make something less grievous," assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable.
While the synonyms allay and assuage are close in meaning, allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms.
Although the words alleviate and assuage have much in common, alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.
In some situations, the words lighten and assuage are roughly equivalent. However, lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight.
The meanings of mitigate and assuage largely overlap; however, mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful.
While in some cases nearly identical to assuage, relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable.