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

Some applaud him for mollifying a president who has openly mused about firing Mueller. — Peter Baker, BostonGlobe.com, "As Trump’s war on investigators grows, critics say stakes are high," 26 May 2018 After protests flared in July, officials promised to hire thousands of municipal employees, but the announcement only mollified Basra for a month, until the unrest started again this week. — Fox News, "Iraqi city of Basra seethes over water crisis, unemployment," 10 Sep. 2018 Foreign politicians have demanded Israel not pass the law, and they have not been mollified by the removal of most of its disputed provisions. — Eugene Kontorovich, WSJ, "Get Over It—Israel Is the Jewish State," 19 July 2018 In an attempt to mollify the environmental wing of his party, Mr. Macron on Tuesday set up a new independent council of scientists, economists and engineers charged with reviewing France’s climate policy. — Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, "Macron Recommits to Fuel Tax Amid Rising Protests," 27 Nov. 2018 Lifting the de facto ban on gun violence research was an attempt to mollify a country still reeling from the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, just weeks before. — Verge Staff, The Verge, "What the new Congress means for space, self-driving cars, and regulating Facebook," 7 Nov. 2018 These students were unwilling to be mediated and mollified by spokespeople or television anchors. — Lara Backmender, Glamour, "The March for Our Lives Activists Who Said Never Again," 1 Nov. 2018 After the rupee’s tumble, India’s government issued a somewhat mollifying statement reaffirming the RBI’s autonomy. — Andrew Peaple, WSJ, "India Is the Latest Place for a Government-Central Bank Scrap," 2 Nov. 2018 The Justice Department agreed to turn over to Nunes many of its files on the genesis of the investigation into the Trump campaign, but that has hardly mollified the president. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Demands Justice Department Investigate Role of Informant on Campaign," 20 May 2018

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.