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Assuage

(pronounced uh-swayj)  verb

Definition

1. to lessen the intensity or severity of (something painful, troublesome, or unpleasant); to make milder. 2. to soothe or pacify; calm. 3. to satisfy (thirst, appetite, desire, etc.); appease.

Main Example

• During their Senate confirmation hearings, the incoming secretaries of state and defense explicitly described Russia as an adversary that America needs to confront, thus assuaging the fears of leading lawmakers from both major parties who've been worried that, given his oft-expressed admiration of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump might adopt a misguidedly friendly stance toward the Russian leader.

Workplace Examples

• The reason we were able to win employee acceptance of the new health plan is management's written assurance that the maximum yearly increase in premium will not exceed 8%. Without such a guarantee, there is no way we could have assuaged people's concerns.
• Today, there was another one of those big arguments between Jack and Iris, this time over who is responsible for staffing the customer center on weekends. So, the VP went down the hall and assuaged things a bit.

Other Examples

• somebody frantically searching for a fast food restaurant to assuage his hunger while on a long driving trip; despite her busy workload, a company executive taking on the additional responsibilities of an adjunct professor at a nearby college to assuage her desire to teach
• actions taken by the county commissioners to encourage carpooling on the freeways assuaging those fighting for cleaner air; to assuage Russia's anger over the shooting down of its plane by Turkey, President Erdogan apologizing profusely to President Putin; authorities in Thailand trying to assuage anti-government protestors
• a medical doctor's apology and other conciliatory gestures helping assuage a patient's resentment over an unduly long wait; CBS "Sunday Morning" assuaging this author's insatiable desire for knowledge
• Bill and Melinda Gates donating billions of dollars to help assuage disease and malnutrition in Asia and Africa; President Obama meeting with relatives of the 49 people killed in the mass shooting in Orlando to help assuage their grief
• among the many merits and demerits of marijuana: its ability to assuage chronic pain

© 2017 V.J. Singal
No part of this may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author.