mollify

verb mol·li·fy \ ˈmä-lə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 12 Apr 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

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mollification

play \ˌmä-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

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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

His latest media tour, while following much the same template, has failed to have any kind of mollifying effect, neither externally nor internally.

— felix salmon, WIRED, "The Case for A Zuck-Free Facebook," 3 Apr. 2018
Neither Canada nor Mexico appeared mollified by the prospect of a tariff exemption in exchange for bending to United States demands on Nafta.

— ana swanson, mark landler and maggie haberman, New York Times, "Trump Reaffirms Commitment to Tariffs but Opens Door to Compromise," 5 Mar. 2018
Many writers do their female protagonists justice, and rape-revenge stories can be mollifying to watch, especially for survivors of assault.

— jill gutowitz, Glamour, "I'm Tired of Male Screenwriters Using Rape as a Convenient Backstory for Women," 18 Jan. 2018
Trump is often lampooned as a baby or toddler with no impulse control—sitting on the potty tweeting, throwing around food from his high chair, being mollified with little rockets.

— sarah boxer, The Atlantic, "Why Is Donald Trump So Hard to Caricature?," 10 Mar. 2018
And that could mollify leading U.S. trading partners and allies that have roundly criticized the tariffs and threatened to respond with retaliatory measures.

— don lee, latimes.com, "Trump plans to announce steel tariffs, but may allow exemptions for U.S allies after all," 7 Mar. 2018
Despite that seemingly tough stance at city hall, neighbors weren't mollified.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Grosse Pointe Shores residents dispute how many houses should fit on 8 acres," 2 Jan. 2018
The government eventually surrendered, but in an earlier attempt to mollify prosecutors, IBM eliminated its practice of bundling hardware and software, a shift that essentially created the software industry.

— charles duhigg, New York Times, "The Case Against Google," 20 Feb. 2018
The imperfect act gave women the right to vote, mollifying some activists, but the legislation continued to limit women.

— marissa fessenden, Smithsonian, "Photographs Documenting the Struggle for Women’s Suffrage Are Reimagined in Full Color," 9 Feb. 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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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