LESSON 5: Words Referring to Lessening Pain, Tension, and

Conflict

Allay• The government released a report

to allay fears about the disease outbreak.

• Joe allayed his parents’ concern when he called to let them know he was all right.

• A good massage often allays the pain in my back.

Verb

To lessen fear or pain; to calm

Alleviate• Rebecca often takes Tylenol to

alleviate the pain from her headaches.

• Looking at pictures of my family alleviated my homesickness.

• The government hoped to alleviate unemployment by instituting a new jobs program.

Verb

To lessen pain and discomfort

Ameliorate• Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle did

much to ameliorate the poor conditions of the meatpacking industry.

• Finishing my homework on time helped to ameliorate my low grades.

• A good joke always ameliorates Susannah's bad mood.

Verb

To make better; to lessen pain, difficulty, or tension

Appease• King John appeased the angry

nobles by signing the Magna Carta and granting them rights.

• Neville Chamberlain was unable to prevent World War II through his policy of appeasing Hitler.

• Alex was able to appease his angry sister by apologizing for their fight.

Verb

To pacify

Assuage• The only way to assuage my guilt

was to confess to what I had done. • The news report assuaged our

curiosity about the fire.

• Peter’s explanation of the extra charges failed to assuage the customer’s anger.

Verb

To alleviate; to lessen pain or conflict; pacify

Conciliate• The managers agreed to make

concessions to conciliate the striking workers.

• Daniel reached out his hand in a gesture of conciliation.

• My best friend and I conciliated after our fight.

Verb

To win a person over through special considerations or persuasive methods; reconcile

Mediate• The mediator attempted to help

the two parties reach a compromise.

• Before the United States entered World War I, Woodrow Wilson offered to mediate peace between the warring nations.

• My father mediated the argument between my sisters.

Verb

To act as a go-between in settling conflicts

Mitigate• The criminal avoided a prison

sentence because of mitigating circumstances relating to the crime.

• Mother Teresa worked to mitigate hunger and suffering in India.

• The National Guard’s quick response mitigated the effects of the flood.

Verb

To make or become less severe; to lessen pain or damage

Mollify• A pacifier can often mollify a crying

baby.

• John mollified the effects of unemployment by taking a part-time job.

• The businessman would often mollify angry clients by taking them out to dinner.

Verb

To pacify, soothe, or appease; to make less severe or violent

Pacify• The Romans were able to pacify

Northern Africa by defeating the Carthaginians.

• The announcer attempted to pacify the angry crowd when the band arrived late to the concert.

• The British army’s attempts at pacification were unsuccessful.

Verb

To calm; to make peaceful; to restore to a tranquil state

Placate• Protesters during the Civil Rights

Movement were not placated until they received equal rights.

• Amy placated her employees by giving them the afternoon off.

• A losing baseball team often attempts to placate fans by firing the manager.

Verb

To make calm; to soothe

Quell• The mother quelled her crying

daughter with a stern look. • The king traveled to the town

himself to quell the peasant uprising.

• President’s Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” quelled panic among Americans during the Great Depression and World War I.

Verb

To pacify; to subdue; to quiet down