verb

assuage

/əˈsweɪdʒ/ · say it: uh·SWAYJ

to make an unpleasant feeling less intense

In Actions & Behavior

In more detail

1. (verb) to make something less severe or intense; to ease or reduce

2. (verb) to calm or pacify someone who is angry or upset

Examples

1. The medicine helped assuage her pain.
2. He tried to assuage her fears with reassuring words.

How to use assuage

Assuage is a somewhat formal or literary verb meaning to reduce the intensity of something unpleasant, whether physical (pain), emotional (anger, fear), or abstract (guilt, concerns). It carries a sense of soothing or calming rather than completely eliminating. It is more elevated in tone than simple words like ease or relieve, and is often used in formal writing, literature, or serious discourse.

Common phrases

assuage pain
assuage fears
assuage anger
assuage guilt
assuage concerns

Synonyms

ease · alleviate · mitigate · soothe · relieve

Opposites

aggravate · exacerbate · intensify

Word family

assuagement (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse assuage with assuage, thinking it means to completely eliminate something rather than merely reduce its intensity; it softens rather than removes.

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