propitiate

verb pro·pi·ti·ate \ prō-ˈpi-shē-ˌāt \

Definition of propitiate

propitiated; propitiating

transitive verb

: to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of : appease

—

propitiator

play \prō-ˈpi-shē-ˌā-tər\ noun

See propitiate defined for English-language learners

See propitiate defined for kids

propitiate was our Word of the Day on 11/14/2010. Hear the podcast!

Examples of propitiate in a Sentence

He made an offering to propitiate the angry gods.
the temple was once the site of sacrifices—both to honor the gods in times of plenty and to propitiate them in times of trouble

Recent Examples of propitiate from the Web

Soon after Kuchibhotla’s murder, a commentator in India a grave irony: in the run-up to the 2016 election, a number of right-leaning American Hindus , not only with donations but also with elaborate prayer ceremonies to propitiate the gods.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "Being Indian in Trump’s America," 15 Mar. 2017
In interviews, the inhabitants complained that rocks being blasted off the mountains were falling on their homes and angering the local neak ta, who had to be propitiated with offerings of roast pigs.

— julia wallace, New York Times, "A Race to Document Rare Plants Before These Cliffs Are Ground to Dust," 13 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'propitiate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Like its synonym "appease," propitiate means "to ease the anger or disturbance of," but there are subtle differences between the two terms as well. "Appease" usually implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions, whereas "propitiate" tends to suggest averting the anger or malevolence of a superior being. In fact, "propitiate" often occurs - as in our first example sentence - in contexts involving deities, spirits, or other preternatural forces. You might "appease" your hunger, but to speak more colorfully, you could "propitiate the gods of hunger."