Word: assuage (verb)

Associations

"Assuage" means to make something less intense or severe, especially feelings like pain, fear, or anger. It is often used when talking about calming or easing unpleasant emotions or physical discomfort.

• She tried to assuage his fears by explaining the situation clearly. Here, it means to reduce fear.
• The medicine helped to assuage the pain after the injury. Here, it means to lessen physical pain.
• His kind words assuaged her sadness. Here, it means to soothe emotional pain.

A well-known synonym is "alleviate," which usually refers more to physical pain or problems, while "assuage" is often used for feelings or emotions. Use "assuage" when you want to emphasize calming or easing emotional or mental discomfort.

Substitution

You can replace "assuage" with:

• ease (e.g., ease the pain)
• relieve (e.g., relieve anxiety)
• soothe (e.g., soothe anger)
• calm (e.g., calm fears)

Each substitute might slightly change the tone. For example, "soothe" often implies gentle comfort, while "relieve" focuses more on removing or reducing the problem.

Deconstruction

The word "assuage" comes from Latin "assuaviare," which means "to make sweet" or "to soften."

• Prefix: "as-" (a form of "ad-") means "to" or "toward."
• Root: "suavis" means "sweet" or "pleasant." So, "assuage" literally means to make something more pleasant or less harsh.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you tried to assuage someone's feelings? What did you do?
• How is "assuage" different from simply ignoring a problem or feeling?
• In what situations might you use "assuage" instead of "solve" or "fix"? Why?