Antonyms for quell


Grammar : Verb
Spell : kwel
Phonetic Transcription : kwɛl


Definition of quell

Origin :
  • Old English cwellan "to kill, murder, execute," from Proto-Germanic *kwaljanan (cf. Old English cwelan "to die," cwalu "violent death;" Old Saxon quellian "to torture, kill;" Old Norse kvelja "to torment;" Middle Dutch quelen "to vex, tease, torment;" Old High German quellan "to suffer pain," German quälen "to torment, torture"), from PIE *gwele- "to throw, reach," with extended sense of "to pierce" (cf. Armenian kelem "I torture;" Old Church Slavonic zali "pain;" Lithuanian galas "end," gela "agony," gelati "to sting"). Milder sense of "suppress, extinguish" developed by c.1300. Related: Quelled; quelling.
  • verb defeat, suppress
  • verb alleviate, calm
Example sentences :
  • Grendel now, monster cruel, be mine to quell in single battle!
  • Extract from : « Beowulf » by Anonymous
  • Not that you can replace Hilary, but you need solitude to quell your pride.
  • Extract from : « Father Sergius » by Leo Tolstoy
  • He should be able to quell a mutiny, check a mob or stamp out a rebellion.
  • Extract from : « Blood and Iron » by John Hubert Greusel
  • There was only one way to quell this mutiny, and that was to soothe it away.
  • Extract from : « In a Little Town » by Rupert Hughes
  • To quell this feeling, a reorganization of the army was effected.
  • Extract from : « Four Years in Rebel Capitals » by T. C. DeLeon
  • He could quell the storm if He would, and when He would; and to Him they cried and not in vain.
  • Extract from : « True Words for Brave Men » by Charles Kingsley
  • Nothing we can do till the cops get here to quell this bunch.
  • Extract from : « The Great Potlatch Riots » by Allen Kim Lang
  • But though for the moment he quelled her eye, nothing could quell her voice.
  • Extract from : « The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson » by Anthony Trollope
  • My words and manner had been too much for her, anxious as she was to quell the storm.
  • Extract from : « A Christmas Posy » by Mary Louisa Stewart Molesworth
  • A courage to quell the proudest, an honest pity to encourage the humblest.
  • Extract from : « Past and Present » by Thomas Carlyle

Synonyms for quell

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019