allay

verb

al·​lay a-ˈlā 

ə-

allayed; allaying; allays

transitive verb

1

: to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity : alleviate

expect a breeze to allay the heat

2

: to make quiet : calm

trying to allay their fears

intransitive verb

obsolete : to diminish in strength : subside

Synonyms

• alleviate
• assuage
• ease
• help
• mitigate
• mollify
• palliate
• relieve
• soothe

Choose the Right Synonym for allay

relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay mean to make something less grievous.

relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable.

took an aspirin to relieve the pain

alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.

the lotion alleviated the itching

lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight.

good news would lighten our worries

assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable.

ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat

mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful.

the need to mitigate barbaric laws

allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms.

allayed their fears

Examples of allay in a Sentence

The new advertising campaign is an attempt to allay the public's concerns about the safety of the company's products.

a gentle breeze would allay the heat

Recent Examples on the Web

Signing the best starter remaining on the free-agent market would allay those concerns and quell some of the criticism surrounding Atlanta's quiet offseason. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Wary nearby homeowners and local officials said the group hasn’t done enough to allay concerns about traffic, noise and potential pivots to other uses. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2025

In addition to fears of German attacks, there was also concern about labor unrest at the mine, and to allay these concerns a force of 15 U.S. servicemen were given discharges and then hired by the Cryolite Company. —Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

And Tuesday’s news most likely allays concerns that Trump regulatory picks, including Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission, had about Meta. —Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English alayen, from Old English ālecgan, from ā- (perfective prefix) + lecgan to lay — more at abide, lay

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Kids Definition

allay

verb

al·​lay a-ˈlā 

ə-

allayed; allaying

1

: to make less severe : relieve

allay pain

2

: to make quiet : calm

allay fears