In the following vocabulary question, choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the word Allay as used in standard English.

Introduction / Context:
This synonym question focuses on the verb allay, which is often used in formal or semi formal English to describe reducing negative feelings such as fear, pain, or suspicion. Understanding such words is important because they frequently appear in editorials, reports, and exam passages.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The options provided are relieve, understand, increase, annoy, and complicate. The verb allay typically collocates with words like fears, doubts, anxiety, or concerns. Therefore, your task is to find which option matches the idea of reducing or calming down something unpleasant.

Concept / Approach:
Allay means to make something less strong or less severe, especially negative emotions or worries. It is close in meaning to ease, calm, or relieve. It never means to make something worse. So any option that suggests increasing, irritating, or complicating a situation must be rejected.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall typical phrases such as allay fears, allay doubts, or allay anxiety, which all point toward soothing and reducing intensity.Step 2: Compare this idea with the option relieve, which also means to lessen pain, stress, or difficulty.Step 3: Examine understand, which refers to comprehension rather than reduction of discomfort.Step 4: Note that increase, annoy, and complicate all move in the opposite direction by making things more intense, more irritating, or more difficult.Step 5: Select relieve as the closest equivalent in meaning to allay.

Verification / Alternative check:
Test the substitution in a sample sentence such as The government tried to allay public fears. If you replace allay with relieve, the sentence becomes The government tried to relieve public fears, which is natural and accurate. Replacing it with understand, increase, annoy, or complicate does not make sense in context and changes the intended meaning completely.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Understand refers to mental comprehension and does not capture the idea of reducing anxiety. Increase directly contradicts allay, since allay means to reduce. Annoy means to irritate or bother, which would intensify discomfort rather than calm it. Complicate means to make something more complex or difficult to handle, again the opposite of easing or soothing. None of these share the core meaning that allay has in common with relieve.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to pick understand because students associate allay with dealing with doubts and therefore think of mental processes. Another pitfall is not reading all options carefully and overlooking the clear positive match relieve. Always check whether the option you choose can appear in the same sentence as the word being tested without changing the overall meaning.

Final Answer:
The word Relieve is the best synonym for allay among the given alternatives.