Definition of MOLLIFY

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

The Difference Between Mollify, Appease, and Placate

Mollify, pacify, appease, and placate all mean "to ease the anger or disturbance of," although each implies a slightly different way of pouring oil on troubled waters. Pacify suggests the restoration of a calm or peaceful state, while appease implies the quieting of insistent demands by making concessions; you can appease appetites and desires as well as persons. Placate is similar to appease, but it often indicates a more complete transformation of bitterness to goodwill. Mollify, with its root in Latin mollis, meaning "soft," implies soothing hurt feelings or anger.

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 Celery’s bright, citrusy flavors mollify with heat, and its stalks provide a prodigious range of textures. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, "Celery: Behold the heart of Thanksgiving," 27 Nov. 2019 Celery’s bright, citrusy flavors mollify with heat, and its stalks provide a prodigious range of textures. — Alexa Weibel, New York Times, "The Real Heart of Thanksgiving," 20 Nov. 2019 But these steps did not mollify the rage on the streets. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Iraq and Lebanon’s protesters may achieve what Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ could not," 4 Nov. 2019 In Portland, Sondland’s intention to testify Thursday has not mollified his critics. — Los Angeles Times, "Sondland faces local backlash denying Trump deal in Ukraine," 11 Oct. 2019 But the burn-it-down iconoclasm of his base does not seem so consistent or easily mollified as that would imply. — The Economist, "Bernie Sanders’s permanent revolution," 15 Aug. 2019 That seems to have been borne out by developments in the Persian Gulf, where even staunch U.S. allies such as the United Arab Emirates have, out of necessity, taken a more cautious, mollifying approach to Iran than the Trump administration. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "In standoff with Iran, Trump is reaping what he sowed," 20 Sep. 2019 But some analysts said the relatively modest uptick showed that investors were not going to be mollified by Mr. Trump’s offhand statements given how quickly his views tend to shift. — Alan Rappeport, New York Times, "Call Me Maybe? Conflicting Views Show Gap Between U.S. and China," 27 Aug. 2019 But it's taken steps to shore up its value, which has mollified anxious investors. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "Rate cuts abound; Yuan stabilizes; Disney's miss," 7 Aug. 2019

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