1
Core action
Suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
Example
Officials released the data to quell public concern.
quell
/kwel/ · KWELLverb
Suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
Use quell to express this relationship precisely: suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
What quell Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common construction
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
The promise did little to quell the unrest.
3
Reasoning effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
Clear evidence helped quell rumours about contamination.
Use quell Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Officials released the data to quell public concern.
The promise did little to quell the unrest.
Clear evidence helped quell rumours about contamination.
Precision Matters
Quell overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
quell
vs.Means suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
thwart
Means prevent, block, or frustrate a plan, effort, or harmful outcome.
quell
vs.Means suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
alleviate
Means make pain, difficulty, shortage, or an undesirable condition less severe.
quell
vs.Means suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
denounce
Means publicly condemn or speak out strongly against someone, something, or an action.
quell
vs.Means suppress, calm, or bring an uprising, disturbance, fear, or strong feeling under control.
censure
Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
Test quell in Context
The report aims to calm and suppress those fears.
1
The agency published the full report to ___ fears that the water was unsafe.