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When something bad or painful abates, it becomes less strong or severe.
You allay someone’s fear or concern by making them feel less afraid or worried.
If you alleviate pain or suffering, you make it less intense or severe.
When you ameliorate a bad condition or situation, you make it better in some way.
An anodyne is a medicine that soothes or relieves pain.
To augment something is to increase its value or effectiveness by adding something to it.
If you describe someone as benign, they are kind, gentle, and harmless.
If you condole with someone, you express sympathy or sorrow, usually on the death of someone dear.
If circumstances extenuate someone’s actions in a questionable situation, you feel that it was reasonable for someone to break the usual rules; therefore, you partly excuse and sympathize with their wrongdoing.
To foment is to encourage people to protest, fight, or cause trouble and violent opposition to something that is viewed by some as undesirable.
An incendiary device causes objects to catch on fire; incendiary comments can cause riots to flare up.
When you incite someone to do something, you encourage, urge, or persuade them to do it.
If someone has an insatiable desire for something, they always want more of it and never feel as though they have enough.
When you instigate something, you start it or stir it up, usually for the purpose of causing trouble of some kind.
If you mitigate something that causes harm, you reduce the harmful or painful effects of it.
If you mollify someone, you say or do something to make that person feel less angry or upset.
A palliative action makes a bad situation seem better; nevertheless, it does not actually solve the problem.
A panacea is something that people think will solve all problems and make everything better.
To propitiate another is to calm or soothe them; it is often giving someone what they want so that everyone is happy.
To quell something is to stamp out, quiet, or overcome it.
If you describe a person’s behavior as rapacious, you disapprove of them because they always want more money, goods, or possessions than they really need.
If you are ravenous, you are extremely hungry.
If something, such as food or drink, satiates you, it satisfies your need or desire so completely that you often feel that you have had too much.
If something—such as power, influence, or feeling—wanes, it gradually becomes weaker or less important, often so much so that it eventually disappears.
When something whets your appetite, it increases your desire for it, especially by giving you a little idea or pleasing hint of what it is like.
Verb
assuage
uh-SWAYJ
Context
In an effort to assuage or lessen the pain of a broken heart after his cat had died, Jim spent a lot of extra time at work. His pile of projects on his desk momentarily distracted him from his wounded feelings, temporarily assuaging or relieving his sorrow—until he returned home. Jim’s friends often took him out to eat and watch soccer in order to assuage his depressed mood, but even that didn’t help to ease his grief. Only time would eventually assuage or lighten the loss of his beloved pet, who had been such a wonderful companion to him for so many years.
Quiz:Try again!
What is an example of someone’s assuaging their anxiety?
A student who calms their nerves before an exam by doing a minute of deep breathing.
A person who lists everything happening in their life to try to identify why they are nervous.
An actor who increases their nervousness before going onstage by picturing the audience.
Wonder Drug Assuages Sue's AgeSue had a real problem with her advancing age, so she tried a new anti-wrinkle cream that thankfully cleared away the lines on her face, which helped to assuage her fears of looking older than she felt.
Examples
I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage.
— Charles-Louis de Secondat, also known as Montesquieu, French judge and political philosopher
Because these national champions control as much as [ninety percent] of the world’s oil and gas, they can do far more than the likes of Exxon to assuage the current worries about supply and to influence the accompanying record prices.
—
The Economist
The rapid-fire announcements late in the day were timed to beat the opening of Asian financial markets and to assuage worries that investors, lenders, and traders shell-shocked by the housing debacle and credit crunch would hunker down even more and drive markets lower.
—
Los Angeles Times
The David Citadel did get much of the presidential staff and assurances of a future presidential visit, but that apparently was not enough to assuage hurt feelings in the highly competitive hotel business.
—
The Washington Post
When you assuage bitter feelings, you move them “towards” something “sweeter.”
Word Theater
ABC This Week The Egyptian government must take measures to assuage its demonstrating people.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
