Synonyms

assuage

American

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

verb (used with object)

assuaged, assuaging

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

to assuage one's grief;
to assuage one's pain.

Synonyms:

relieve, lessen, diminish, allay
to appease; satisfy; sate.

to assuage one's hunger.
to soothe, calm, or mollify.

to assuage his fears;
to assuage her anger.

assuage British

/ əˈsweɪdʒ, əˈsweɪsɪv /

verb

to soothe, moderate, or relieve (grief, pain, etc)
to give relief to (thirst, appetite, etc); satisfy
to pacify; calm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Saying the rush to get a deal had “looked opportunistic and sloppy,” Chief Executive Sam Altman posted messages on X trying to explain and assuage concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal

But economists and analysts alike looked to assuage those fears, saying the loss of jobs in February is not related to AI.

From MarketWatch

Earlier this week, the U.S. promised tankers protection through the Persian Gulf, if necessary, assuaging some of the market’s concerns about the effects of a Hormuz chokehold.

From Barron's

Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz built Blue Owl after missing out on top jobs at other firms; the firm’s ability to rebound will depend on whether they can assuage investor concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some investors said the slide shows how, for AI-linked companies, the bar to please investors—and assuage bubble worries—keeps getting higher.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023