placate

verb

pla·​cate ˈplā-ˌkāt  ˈpla- 

placated; placating

transitive verb

: to soothe or mollify especially by concessions : appease

placater noun

placatingly

ˈplā-ˌkā-tiŋ-lē 

ˈpla-

adverb

placation

plā-ˈkā-shən 

pla-

noun

placative

ˈplā-ˌkā-tiv 

ˈpla-

adjective

placatory

ˈplā-kə-ˌtȯr-ē 

ˈpla-

adjective

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• appease
• assuage
• conciliate
• disarm
• gentle
• mollify
• pacify
• propitiate

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

The day before, Trump signed a series of executive orders to placate coal country, portending to extend the lives of coal plants and promote coal exports — a move that the Sierra Club said guts pollution and safety controls while raising energy bills on working class Americans. —Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Who hasn’t been placated with corporate platitudes or company swag when advocating for concrete change? —Leah Asmelash, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

Those changes — a desperate need for privacy, security, and to placate the masses — put With Love, Meghan between a rock and a hard place. —Alanna Bennett, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2025

But at least outwardly, China doesn’t appear overly concerned about the impact of the new tariffs or in a rush to placate Trump to stave off more. —Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin placatus, past participle of placare — more at please

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for placate

• vacate

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Kids Definition

placate

verb

pla·​cate ˈplāk-ˌāt  ˈplak- 

placated; placating

: to calm the anger or bitterness of