placate

verb

pla·​cate ˈplā-ˌkāt How to pronounce placate (audio) ˈpla- How to pronounce placate (audio)
placated; placating

transitive verb

: to soothe or mollify especially by concessions : appease
placater noun
placatingly adverb
placation noun
placative adjective
placatory adjective

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Soothe Yourself With the History of Placate

The earliest documented uses of the verb placate in English date from the late 17th century. The word is derived from Latin placatus, the past participle of placare, and placate still carries the basic meaning of its Latin ancestor: "to soothe" or "to appease." Other placare descendants in English are implacable (meaning "not easily soothed or satisfied") and placation ("the act of soothing or appeasing"). Even please itself, derived from Latin placēre ("to please"), is a distant relative of placate.

Choose the Right Synonym for placate

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

Examples of placate in a Sentence

Although Rumsfeld was later thrown overboard by the Administration in an attempt to placate critics of the Iraq War, his military revolution was here to stay. Jeremy Scahill, Nation, 2 Apr. 2007
The first step that women took in their emancipation was to adopt traditional male roles: to insist on their right to wear trousers, not to placate, not to smile, not to be decorative. Fay Weldon, Harper's, May 1998
These spirits inhabited natural objects, like rivers and mountains, including celestial bodies, like the sun and moon. They had to be placated and their favors sought in order to ensure the fertility of the soil and the rotation of the seasons. Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988
But it seems important to the Thunderbirds to make a big deal out of this; evidently it placates congressmen who don't think the Air Force should be in show biz. Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 3 Aug. 1987
The administration placated protesters by agreeing to consider their demands. The angry customer was not placated by the clerk's apology.
Recent Examples on the Web King’s Running Man, published in 1982 and written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, was set in 2025 in an America under a totalitarian regime that uses violent game shows to placate the disenfranchised masses. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2024 The food of the common person — the meals scarfed down when everyone is too tired to cook, money is tight or the kids just need to be placated — is, in actuality, the food of the elite. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024 Gates is tasked not only with helping run an election but also, somehow, placating people who, ginned up by opportunistic politicians, can never be truly satisfied. Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024 Conor Friedersdorf: 1776 honors America’s diversity in a way 1619 does not But placating a racist id was just part of the war’s story for Beck. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for placate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'placate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin placatus, past participle of placare — more at please

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of placate was in 1678

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Dictionary Entries Near placate

Cite this Entry

“Placate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

placate

verb
pla·​cate ˈplāk-ˌāt How to pronounce placate (audio) ˈplak- How to pronounce placate (audio)
placated; placating
: to calm the anger or bitterness of

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