Meaning & use
reassurance
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
Something said or done that calms a person's worries and makes them feel more confident.
Grammar: Uncountable in general: she needed reassurance; countable with a: a reassurance.
Patterns
- reassurance that something
- reassurance about something
- seek reassurance
The nurse gave the child a gentle smile as reassurance.
He kept asking for reassurance that the test would be easy.
The manager offered reassurance that nobody would lose their job.
nouncountable
A statement that tells someone that a fear is unfounded or that something will be all right.
Grammar: Usually with that: a reassurance that all is well.
Patterns
- a reassurance from someone
Their reassurances did little to calm me.
The airline's reassurances about safety satisfied most passengers.
Word forms
| plural | reassurances |
|---|
Common combinations
- seek reassurance
- Many new parents seek reassurance from friends.
- offer reassurance
- The doctor offered reassurance about the results.
- constant reassurance
- The puppy needed constant reassurance.
- words of reassurance
- A few words of reassurance helped him relax.
- need reassurance
- After the storm, the children needed reassurance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- comfort
- Comfort soothes sadness or pain, while reassurance targets doubt or fear.
- assurance
- Assurance is a firm promise, whereas reassurance is aimed at easing a worry that already exists.
- encouragement
- Encouragement pushes someone to act, while reassurance calms them.
- consolation
- Consolation eases a loss or disappointment, and reassurance eases uncertainty.
Opposites
Word family
- reassure verb
- to calm someone's worries
- reassuring adjective
- making you feel less worried
- reassuringly adverb
- in a calming way
- assure verb
- to tell someone confidently
- assurance noun
- a confident promise
Commonly confused: reassurance or insurance?
reassurance vs insurance
Insurance is a payment for protection against loss, but reassurance is comfort in words or actions.
Practice
The teacher gave the nervous student a smile of ___ before the exam.
Choose one answer.
Reassurance means comfort that calms worry. Insurance is financial cover, resistance is opposition, and reluctance is unwillingness.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reassurance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.