mollify

verb

mol·​li·​fy ˈmä-lə-ˌfī 

mollified; mollifying

transitive verb

1

: to soothe in temper or disposition : appease

mollified the staff with a raise

2

: to reduce the rigidity of : soften

Shaving cream mollifies the beard.

3

: to reduce in intensity : assuage, temper

Time mollified his anger.

intransitive verb

archaic : soften, relent

mollification

ˌmä-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

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The Difference Between Mollify, Appease, and Placate

Mollify, like its synonyms pacify, appease, and placate, means "to ease the anger or disturbance of." But mollify is particularly well-suited for referring to an act of soothing hurt feelings or anger; it comes from the Latin mollis, meaning "soft."

Synonyms

• appease
• assuage
• conciliate
• disarm
• gentle
• pacify
• placate
• propitiate

Choose the Right Synonym for mollify

pacify, appease, placate, mollify, propitiate, conciliate mean to ease the anger or disturbance of.

pacify suggests a soothing or calming.

pacified by a sincere apology

appease implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions.

appease their territorial ambitions

placate suggests changing resentment or bitterness to goodwill.

a move to placate local opposition

mollify implies soothing hurt feelings or rising anger.

a speech that mollified the demonstrators

propitiate implies averting anger or malevolence especially of a superior being.

propitiated his parents by dressing up

conciliate suggests ending an estrangement by persuasion, concession, or settling of differences.

conciliating the belligerent nations

Examples of mollify in a Sentence

He tried to mollify his critics with an apology.

All attempts to mollify the extremists have failed.

The landlord fixed the heat, but the tenants still were not mollified.

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, Mollenkopf has his work cut out for him: quickly recruiting a new CEO capable of fixing the company, mollifying shareholders who may become frustrated by Calhoun’s lame duck period, and bringing the board along with him without reproducing the result of the last search. —Joe Moglia, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

To mollify this constituency, the Kremlin could rotate frontline troops more frequently—but that could, in turn, require fresh rounds of mobilization. —Timothy Frye, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024

Critics of Wu from the left have accused her of trying to mollify conservatives. —E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024

To allay such fears and mollify regulators, Kroger in September announced a $1.9 billion deal to sell off 413 stores to Piggly Wiggly operator and franchiser C&S Wholesale Grocers. —Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 15 Jan. 2024

Lethal injection has always tried to mollify the public by using scientific terms and products for punishment. —Joel B. Zivot, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024

In more recent years, hip-hop has become the go-to means for corporations seeking to rehab their public image and mollify their Black consumer base. —Timmhotep Aku, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024

But that wasn’t enough to mollify critics, who took to social media to express incredulousness and fury. —Variety, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024

Decades of economic, political, and even security engagement from the 1990s on failed to mollify Chinese concerns about Taiwan. —Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mollifien, from Middle French mollifier, from Late Latin mollificare, from Latin mollis soft; akin to Greek amaldynein to soften, Sanskrit mṛdu soft, and probably to Greek malakos soft, amblys dull, Old English meltan to melt

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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Kids Definition

mollify

verb

mol·​li·​fy ˈmäl-ə-ˌfī 

mollified; mollifying

1

: to reduce the harshness or violence of

2

: to soothe in temper or disposition : conciliate

mollification

ˌmäl-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun