What does assuage mean?
Word: Assuage
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Assuage means to make an unpleasant feeling, such as hunger or disappointment, less strong.
Synonyms: soothe
Antonyms: worsen
How do you spell assuage?
Syllables: as - suage
Tricky part: The word is said with a w sound after the s, yet no w appears in it. A u does that job.
Watch out for: assuwage, assuaige
Memory tip: Persuade plays the same trick: there too a u stands in for the w sound.
Assuage in a sentence
Example 1: A plate of hot khichdi soon assuaged the hikers' hunger.
Example 2: Nothing the shopkeeper said could assuage the customer's annoyance about the torn parcel.
Example 3: Grandfather's jokes assuaged my nerves before the school play.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to a Latin word for sweet, the same one that gave English suave. To assuage a sorrow was, in a way, to sweeten it.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. assuage 2. meticulus 3. ephemral 4. benevolant
a) giving close attention to every small detail
b) kind and eager to help others
c) to take the edge off a painful feeling
d) staying for only a very short time
Show answer
c) to take the edge off a painful feeling. Benevolent, meticulous and ephemeral are the true forms of the other three, so assuage is the word to define.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word assuage as used in the sentence:
The teacher's kind words did much to assuage Meera's disappointment at losing the debate.
a) explain
b) ease
c) repeat
d) share
Show answer
b) ease. Her disappointment grew lighter, which is what happens when a feeling is eased.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
as_ua_e
a) s,j
b) c,g
c) c,j
d) s,g
Show answer
d) s,g. Both gaps hold plain consonants: the letter that doubles the one before it, then a soft g.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
assuagee
a) u
b) a
c) e
d) g
Show answer
c) e. The word stops after one e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Before an exam, how might a thoughtful friend assuage your worry?
a) tell you that the others know much more
b) leave you alone and stop answering calls
c) remind you how hard the paper will be
d) go through the tricky chapter with you
Show answer
d) go through the tricky chapter with you
2. If a cool drink assuages your thirst, how do you feel afterwards?
a) less thirsty than before
b) unsure about being thirsty
c) as thirsty as you were
d) thirstier than before
Show answer
a) less thirsty than before
