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

3

: to put an end to by satisfying : appease, quench

assuaging his thirst

assuagement

ə-ˈswāj-mənt 

 also  -ˈswāzh-

 or  -ˈswäzh-

noun

Did you know?

Assuage Stays Sweet Over Time

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how the, ahem, assuage gets made, today is your lucky day—we’ve got a sweet story to quell your hunger for word knowledge. Assuage comes from the Latin adjective suavis, meaning—you guessed it—“sweet.” (Sweet itself is also a distant relation.) Perhaps recalling Mary Poppins (as played by Julie Andrews in the titular film) singing to the Banks children will make the link indelible: “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” To assuage something painful or distressing, such as fear, guilt, or grief, is to lessen its intensity the way, say, saccharine grape flavoring helps mask some of the bitterness of cough syrup. Similarly, to assuage hunger or thirst—as for lexicographical trivia, perhaps—is to end it by satisfying it fully. We hope you’re satisfied!

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for assuage

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 assuage in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Last spring brought calls from students nationwide who demanded their colleges sever ties with the Israeli government, and some schools took steps to assuage them. —Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024

Statistics showing that violent crime is trending down have done little to assuage that sentiment. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

While recent economic reports, including last week’s hot jobs number for September, have assuaged fears of weaker consumer spending, there remain lingering concerns. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2024

By contrast, the archetypal cozy figure at her desk, plugged into multiple screens, is an image of loneliness which is also meant to assuage loneliness. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aswagen, borrowed from Anglo-French asuager (continental Old French assuagier), going back to Vulgar Latin *assūaviāre, from Latin ad- -ad- + Vulgar Latin *-sūaviāre, derivative of Latin sūavis "agreeable to the senses, sweet, pleasant" — more at sweet entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

assuage

verb

as·​suage ə-ˈswāj 

assuaged; assuaging

1

: to lessen or make easier to bear : soothe, ease

2

: satisfy sense 2b, quench

assuagement

-mənt 

noun