mollify

verb mol·li·fy \ ˈmä-lə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of mollify

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

play \ˌmä-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

See mollify defined for English-language learners

See mollify defined for kids

mollify was our Word of the Day on 11/06/2016. Hear the podcast!

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 of mollify from the Web

But European leaders have been working hard to mollify Tehran -- UK Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday to assure him of her support for the deal.

— ben westcott, sara mazloumsaki and samantha beech, CNN, "Iranian Foreign Minister visits Russia and China to try to save nuclear deal," 14 May 2018
Temperatures aren't going to suddenly stop increasing, so leaders in the public and private sectors have focused on ways to mollify the urban heat island effect.

— joshua bowling, azcentral, "LA installs off-white streets to beat heat — could Phoenix be next?," 30 Mar. 2018
State workers, who also suffer from low pay and from PEIA’s shortcomings, aren’t mollified either: WV Public Workers Union UE Local 170 responds to Justice's 3 percent raise proposal.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "West Virginia’s teachers are skeptical of a deal to end a five-day walkout.," 28 Feb. 2018
Despite a massive anti-government rally in Malaysia's biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, in 2015, rural Malays are more concerned with bread-and-butter issues and can be mollified by promises of government handouts.

— Fox News, "Once seen as reformer, Malaysia leader faces legitimacy test," 5 May 2018
Despite a massive anti-government rally in Malaysia’s biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, in 2015, rural Malays are more concerned with bread-and-butter issues and can be mollified by promises of government handouts.

— Washington Post, "Once seen as reformer, Malaysia leader faces legitimacy test," 3 May 2018
There have also been complaints from some groups that party officials haven’t done enough to include candidates of color, although some recent additions to the DCCC’s Red to Blue list have mollified those concerns somewhat.

— ella nilsen, Vox, "The Democratic establishment’s controversial meddling in 2018 primaries, explained," 3 May 2018
If fourth-quarter results don't deliver better results and stronger fiscal year 2019 forecast, Taylor might unveil deeper cuts to mollify investors.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "P&G: As stock slides, more jobs in jeopardy? And what about CEO David Taylor's job?," 30 Apr. 2018
And late last year, Spotify had to hammer out a way to mollify a pair of investors who had issued debt to Spotify that would only convert to equity when the company officially IPO’d.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Meet Barry McCarthy, the man behind Spotify’s daring public offering," 1 Apr. 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of mollify

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

mollify Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

MOLLIFY Defined for English Language Learners

mollify

verb

Definition of mollify for English Language Learners

: to make (someone) less angry : to calm (someone) down

MOLLIFY Defined for Kids

mollify

verb mol·li·fy \ ˈmä-lə-ˌfī \

Definition of mollify for Students

mollified; mollifying

: to soothe in temper or disposition

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mollify

Definition of mollify

mollification

mollify was our Word of the Day on 11/06/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of mollify in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mollify from the Web

The Difference Between mollify, appease. and placate

Origin and Etymology of mollify

mollify Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of mollify

MOLLIFY Defined for English Language Learners

mollify

Definition of mollify for English Language Learners

MOLLIFY Defined for Kids

mollify

Definition of mollify for Students

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