Synonyms of mollify

mollify

verb

ˈmä-lə-ˌfī 

1

as in to appease

to lessen the anger or agitation of

an apology would probably mollify your friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• appease
• placate
• soothe
• pacify
• comfort
• calm
• propitiate
• assuage
• conciliate
• please
• disarm
• satisfy
• console
• gentle
• delight
• ingratiate
• tranquilize
• gratify
• content
• quiet
• satiate
• coax
• gladden
• endear (to)
• cajole
• flatter
• indulge
• hush
• sate
• wheedle
• cater (to)
• quench
• baby
• humor
• spoil
• sweeten
• pamper
• coddle
• soft-soap
• overpraise
• adulate
• blandish
• sweet-talk
• mollycoddle
• blarney
• dulcify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• anger
• infuriate
• inflame
• outrage
• enrage
• annoy
• antagonize
• irritate
• aggravate
• rile
• get
• bother
• provoke
• ire
• exasperate
• irk
• burn (up)
• rankle
• put out
• rouse
• vex
• cross
• pique
• bug
• chafe
• ruffle
• gall
• grate
• harass
• upset
• persecute
• disturb
• distress
• pester
• worry
• discomfort
• incense
• roil
• agitate
• madden
• perturb
• unsettle
• offend
• harry
• slight
• insult
• fret
• nettle
• peeve
• affront
• unhinge

2

as in to alleviate

to make more bearable or less severe

a friendly gesture that did a lot to mollify their suspicions about the new neighbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• alleviate
• relieve
• help
• soothe
• mitigate
• ease
• soften
• allay
• assuage
• heal
• palliate
• improve
• cure
• temper
• enhance
• remedy
• lighten
• moderate
• abate
• ameliorate
• rectify
• correct
• amend
• fix
• repair
• better
• reform
• refine
• enrich
• perfect
• meliorate
• emend
• mend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hurt
• impair
• injure
• harm
• aggravate
• exacerbate
• intensify
• heighten
• sharpen

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mollify differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of mollify are appease, conciliate, pacify, placate, and propitiate. While all these words mean "to ease the anger or disturbance of," mollify implies soothing hurt feelings or rising anger.

a speech that mollified the demonstrators

When is appease a more appropriate choice than mollify?

The words appease and mollify are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, appease implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions.

appease their territorial ambitions

When might conciliate be a better fit than mollify?

The meanings of conciliate and mollify largely overlap; however, conciliate suggests ending an estrangement by persuasion, concession, or settling of differences.

conciliating the belligerent nations

When is it sensible to use pacify instead of mollify?

While in some cases nearly identical to mollify, pacify suggests a soothing or calming.

pacified by a sincere apology

When could placate be used to replace mollify?

In some situations, the words placate and mollify are roughly equivalent. However, placate suggests changing resentment or bitterness to goodwill.

a move to placate local opposition

Where would propitiate be a reasonable alternative to mollify?

The synonyms propitiate and mollify are sometimes interchangeable, but propitiate implies averting anger or malevolence especially of a superior being.

propitiated his parents by dressing up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mollify

The vote was largely symbolic but appeared to mollify the president, who earlier in the day canceled a ceremonial signing of a bipartisan housing bill to exert pressure on the Senate to pass an unrelated election law bill. — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Spending too much time on modifying or mollifying faculty — and not enough on student success, including graduation rates — is a cardinal sin for administrators. — Nick Ladany, Forbes.com, 9 June 2026

Or was this a political visit meant to mollify them? — Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 26 May 2026

When presented with a more representative sample of moderate voters, those hard views tend to mollify, the researchers found, as many saw eye-to-eye on several economic and social issues. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 13 May 2026

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