allay
Americanverb (used with object)
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allays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allayed,
past participle, past
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allaying
present participle
verb
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to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
-
(tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allaysimple
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allayssimple
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have allayedperfect
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has allayedperfect
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am allayingprogressive
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are allayingprogressive
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is allayingprogressive
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have been allayingperfect progressive
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has been allayingperfect progressive
Past
-
allayedsimple
-
had allayedperfect
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was allayingprogressive
-
were allayingprogressive
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had been allayingperfect progressive
Future
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; see allege) to alleviate, allay
Explanation
The verb allay is used when you want to make something better or eliminate fears and concerns. When you allay something, you are calming it or reducing difficulties. It is used commonly in the context of to allay concerns and to comfort and some of its many synonyms are alleviate, decrease, mitigate, assuage and mollify. Allay comes from the Old English word alecgan, which means "to put down," as in literally "to lighten." So, if you can allay someone's fears, you are lightening their mood!
Vocabulary lists containing allay
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 11, List 6
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Twelfth Night
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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.
See Examples For:
JetBlue shares rallied on Tuesday after the beleaguered airline sought to allay worries about its business, saying it’s on the cusp of being profitable again — something it hasn’t managed to accomplish since 2019.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
The Catholic Church is trying to allay fears regarding Our Lady's patron saint status, granted by the pope in 1930.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
But that doesn't allay the fears of people living in communities where potential sites have been identified because the faceless, warehouse-like buildings housing the servers can cover a massive footprint.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I wish I could give you a response that would allay your worries, but I can’t.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 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
The director of Belfast Christmas Market is hoping the suspension of roadworks in the run-up to Christmas allays concerns after recent traffic congestion in the city.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
In states that are now moving to change their procedures, lawmakers argue that creating formal rules allays security concerns and prevents bad actors from disrupting governance.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022
Now, an ambitious new study allays those fears.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 2, 2022
“Nothing in her opening statement allays that concern.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2020
This promotes Perspiration, cools, dilutes the Blood, and allays the Sharpness of it, as often as it is properly timed.
From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David) Tissot
The release of Anthropic’s pre-IPO financials appears to have allayed some of those concerns, at least for now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Early fears that the fast-food colossus would be overly brand conscious and dictate content were allayed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
It will take a long time for these concerns to be allayed.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
This has allayed worries over imminent U.S. military action, ANZ Research analysts say in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
My mom admits that nerves were part of the equation but says her doubts and anxieties were allayed by the excitement of starting a life with my dad.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
It is also possible that a couple of rate hikes now, paired with reassuring language from the Fed, could lower long-term yields by allaying fears that the central bank is behind the curve on inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
January’s jobs growth was the largest since that of December 2024, allaying fears of a weakening labor market.
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
They were comments aimed at allaying fans' fears of a trophyless season, but instead they have been used to - as Postecoglou has said himself - mock him after a bad result.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025
Economic data has largely indicated that the U.S. economy remains resilient, raising hopes for a soft landing and allaying concerns of a possible recession.
From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2023
On my affording an opportunity, through the medium of the currency of the realm, of the allaying, at a later period, this beneficial evil, one of the men remarked:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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