reassure

reassure — verb

1. To make someone feel calmer or less worried by telling them or showing them that

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To make someone feel calmer or less worried by telling them or showing them that there is nothing to fear.

Example

Before the exam, Gita's teacher reassured her that she had prepared well.

reassure + object + that-clause

The pilot's steady voice over the speakers reassured the worried passengers.

Common collocations
  • reassure someone about something
  • reassure someone that...
  • try to reassure
  • reassure quickly
  • reassure constantly
Synonyms
  • comfort

    broader — any kindness during distress; less focused on removing specific doubt

  • calm

    focuses on reducing agitation or panic rather than providing evidence

  • put at ease

    informal phrasal equivalent; softer in register

  • console

    applies more to grief or disappointment than to fear or doubt

Antonyms
  • worry

    to cause someone to feel anxious or troubled

  • alarm

    stronger — to make someone suddenly frightened or anxious

Grammar Patterns

reassure + object

reassure + object + that-clause

reassure + object + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from 'assure': 'reassure' always addresses an existing worry or doubt, whereas 'assure' can simply mean promising or confirming something without prior anxiety. Frequently used in the pattern 'reassure + someone + that-clause'.

Common Mistakes

I reassure you that I will arrive on time.' (when no prior worry exists)
I assure you that I will arrive on time.
'assure' is for promises or confirmations without existing anxiety; 'reassure' requires identifiable worry to remove.
The doctor reassured for the patient.
The doctor reassured the patient.
'reassure' is transitive and always needs a direct object.

Word family

  • reassurance
    nounB2
  • reassuring
    adjectiveB1
  • reassuringly
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe making someone feel better, but they differ in what kind of distress they target. 'Comfort' is the broadest — it covers any act of kindness during sadness, pain, or fear (a hug, a kind word). 'Soothe' focuses on easing physical or emotional pain (a warm bath, gentle music). 'Calm' implies reducing agitation, panic, or anger (taking deep breaths, a quiet tone). 'Console' applies specifically to grief or disappointment after a loss or failure. 'Reassure' targets fear or doubt about a specific situation — it removes worry by providing evidence or certainty. You might comfort a crying child for any reason, but you reassure a nervous patient before a blood test because the worry is about a specific outcome.

comfort ↗soothecalm ↗console ↗reassure ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • nothing to worry about
  • everything will be fine
  • there is no need to worry

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Old French 'rasseürer', where 're-' means 'again' and 'asseürer' means 'to make sure'. The French word was formed from Latin 'ad-' (to) and 'securus' (safe, secure). The meaning 'to restore someone's confidence' has been used in English since the late 1500s.