mollify

verb mol·li·fy \ ˈmä-lə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 9 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

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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

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
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

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