verb
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to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
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(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.
“Japanese government bonds will sell off further if the Takaichi administration fails to allay investor concerns about Japan’s fiscal sustainability,” the team adds.
It is also unlikely to allay the emotional or financial shortchanging experienced by your stepsiblings.
From MarketWatch
The funding package also comes as new data shows that telehealth services do not result in overuse of medical services, which may help allay concerns about runaway usage and funding problems.
From MarketWatch
The new offer looks to allay concerns about the value of the deal being subject to the variability of Netflix’s stock price, while also accelerating the path to a shareholder vote.
An evaluation of her living space would help allay those concerns.
From MarketWatch
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.
