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DictionaryassuageEase discomfort
verb

assuage

uh-SWAYJ/əˈsweɪdʒ/

To ease a troubling feeling or unmet need.

The friend's reassuring touch assuages the young man's worry.

A worried young man begins to relax as a friend sits beside him and gently rests a reassuring hand on his shoulder; his lingering concern and easing posture show an unpleasant feeling becoming less intense.
Etymology
asLatinto, toward
+suageLatinsweet, agreeable

The root meaning “sweet, agreeable” supplies the image of making something gentler or more pleasant. Applied to pain, anger, or grief, this becomes soothing the feeling or reducing its intensity.

In context

Enhanced Public Domain205:16
food however became scarce and I often spent the whole day searching in vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger
1800s Fiction Audiobook: Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

More examples

  • A cool drink assuaged her thirst.
  • He apologized in an effort to assuage his guilt.
  • The announcement did little to assuage public concern.

Forms

assuage · assuages · assuaged · assuaging

Similar words

alleviate
Emphasizes reducing severity, especially of pain or difficult conditions.
satisfy
Emphasizes meeting a need rather than easing a troubling feeling.