assuage
verb
as·suage ə-ˈswāj 
also -ˈswāzh,
or -ˈswäzh
assuaged; assuaging
transitive verb
1
: to lessen the intensity of (something that pains or distresses) : ease
unable to assuage their grief
2
: pacify, quiet
… vainly strove … to assuage an implacable foe …
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon3
: to put an end to by satisfying : appease, quench
assuaging his thirst
assuagement
ə-ˈswāj-mənt
noun also -ˈswāzh-
or -ˈswäzh-
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Life contains sorrows that cannot be assuaged, and it is important to be honest in acknowledging this. 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
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 Recent Examples on the Web It was taken to assuage concerns after video footage was published last week showing her singing and dancing with Finnish celebrities at another party. 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
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
Etymology
Middle English aswagen, from Anglo-French asuager, from Vulgar Latin *assuaviare, from Latin ad- + suavis sweet — more at sweet
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
assuage
verb
as·suage ə-ˈswāj
assuaged; assuaging
: to make less severe or intense
assuage pain
assuaging
verb
1
as in alleviating
to make more bearable or less severe a mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- alleviating
- relieving
- helping
- soothing
- mitigating
- easing
- allaying
- softening
- mollifying
- healing
- improving
- curing
- enhancing
- tempering
- palliating
- remedying
- moderating
- lightening
- ameliorating
- repairing
- correcting
- rectifying
- fixing
- refining
- abating
- reforming
- amending
- enriching
- perfecting
- bettering
- meliorating
- mending
- emending
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hurting
- aggravating
- impairing
- exacerbating
- harming
- injuring
- intensifying
- sharpening
- heightening
2
as in satisfying
to put a complete end to (a physical need or desire) that huge meal certainly assuaged my hunger Synonyms & Similar Words
- satisfying
- satiating
- alleviating
- slaking
- sating
- quenching
- relieving
- humoring
- gratifying
- indulging
- lightening
- saturating
- cloying
- catering (to)
- surfeiting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stimulating
- arousing
- exciting
- piquing
- teasing
- tantalizing
3
as in appeasing
to lessen the anger or agitation of nothing would assuage the angry parent except the prompt dismissal of the teacher who had used corporal punishment without authorization Synonyms & Similar Words
- appeasing
- placating
- comforting
- mollifying
- soothing
- pacifying
- calming
- propitiating
- consoling
- pleasing
- disarming
- conciliating
- satisfying
- quieting
- gentling
- delighting
- contenting
- ingratiating
- tranquilizing
- gratifying
- humoring
- coaxing
- satiating
- indulging
- tranquillizing
- wheedling
- sating
- hushing
- quenching
- gladdening
- pampering
- cajoling
- adulating
- flattering
- coddling
- mollycoddling
- spoiling
- babying
- overpraising
- sweetening
- blarneying
- sweet-talking
- blandishing
- endearing (to)
- dulcifying
- catering (to)
- soft-soaping
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- inflaming
- antagonizing
- angering
- rankling
- aggravating
- bothering
- enraging
- outraging
- irking
- getting
- incensing
- piquing
- riling
- nettling
- roiling
- provoking
- infuriating
- chafing
- enflaming
- irritating
- maddening
- crossing
- vexing
- ruffling
- bugging
- exasperating
- grating
- annoying
- burning (up)
- rousing
- iring
- galling
- pestering
- harassing
- agitating
- persecuting
- worrying
- harrying
- fretting
- putting out
- upsetting
- peeving
- perturbing
- distressing
- discomforting
- disturbing
- offending
- insulting
- unsettling
- slighting
- unhinging
- affronting