Assuage
To make something less severe or painful; to relieve or ease (emotions, pain, hunger, or discomfort).
verbAssuage
To make something less severe or painful; to relieve or ease (emotions, pain, hunger, or discomfort).
verbImagine This
A starving kid temporarily relieved his hunger when he stared at the sausages hanging inside the poultry shop.
Sounds Like
uh-SWAYJ
Looks Like
A sausage
Remember This
Assuage derives from Old French and Latin roots meaning to soothe or sweeten; it refers to easing distress rather than fully satisfying something.
Other Forms
Connect With
Relieve, ease, alleviate, soothe, mitigate
Note
Assuage is transitive and requires a direct object (assuage someone's fear, pain, or hunger). It does not mean to fully satisfy; for hunger, 'sate' or 'fulfill' would be more precise.
Study Deeper
- The company issued measures to assuage customers' concerns about product safety.
- A gentle talk from the coach helped assuage the players' anxiety before the game.
From Old French assuagier 'to soothe', from Late Latin assuagare, from Latin suavis 'pleasant, sweet'.
Mnemonic: The word sounds like 'a sausage'—imagine a sausage soothing a hungry person, which helps you remember that assuage means to ease or relieve.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Mitigate
verbTo make something less severe, harmful, or harsh; to alleviate or reduce the impact of an adverse condition.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
Abscond
verbTo depart secretly or flee, especially to avoid detection or arrest.