appeasement

noun ap·pease·ment \ ə-ˈpēz-mənt \

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Definition of appeasement

plural appeasements

1 : the act or action of appeasing someone or something

… one tribe may go in for the appeasement of local ghosts …
—W. D. Howells

especially : a policy of appeasing an enemy or potential aggressor by making concessions

Although appeasement may work in individual cases, terrorist groups with global ambitions cannot be appeased by territorial concessions.
—Walter Laqueur

The Munich analogy—recalling the Allies' appeasement of Germany over its demands on Czechoslovakia in 1938—has been cited again and again, and this is understandable.
—Fredric Smoler

2 : the state of being satisfied

an experience from which he derived little appeasement

… we are relieved to read of Shaw … alleviating the tedium of a vegetarian diet with secret gorges on boiled sweets and cake; his sensuality found appeasement in sugar.
—Robertson Davies

Recent Examples of appeasement from the Web

The policy of appeasement has been helpful to the Iranian regime to stay in power and at the same time is central to the Iranian people's struggle for freedom.

— eric shawn, Fox News, "Protesters against Iranian regime see a free Tehran ahead," 30 June 2018
After claiming Kim had a change of heart about nuclear weapons, Mr. Moon pursued his plan to resurrect the Sunshine Policy of appeasement toward the North that failed in the 2000s.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Dodging a Korean Summit Failure," 24 May 2018
Now is not the time for appeasement of an agenda that attacks facts.

— nick hollkamp, The Courier-Journal, "Voters guide: Who's running in the primaries for the state House," 18 May 2018
Stories of the Second World War console us with memories of the days before Vietnam, Cambodia, and Iraq, when the United States was the world’s good-hearted superpower, riding to the rescue of a Europe paralyzed by totalitarianism and appeasement.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018
Netanyahu compared the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the run-up to World War II.

— ilan ben zion, BostonGlobe.com, "Sirens wail as Israel stands still for Holocaust remembrance," 12 Apr. 2018
Still, many analysts emphasize that Western appeasement of Putin did not start with Trump.

— howard lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, "Putin's provocations: Is it a new cold war if West doesn't push back?," 21 Mar. 2018
The Academy Awards began as an effort of appeasement.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "The Power-Structure Oscars," 5 Mar. 2018
And here's where the talk of appeasement becomes cloudy.

— SI.com, "Fanview: Why the Signing of Olivier Giroud Encapsulates the Chaos That Engulfs Chelsea's Hierarchy," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appeasement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.