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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pacify differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pacify are appease, conciliate, mollify, placate, and propitiate. While all these words mean "to ease the anger or disturbance of," pacify suggests a soothing or calming.

pacified by a sincere apology

Where would appease be a reasonable alternative to pacify?

The words appease and pacify can be used in similar contexts, but appease implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions.

appease their territorial ambitions

When is conciliate a more appropriate choice than pacify?

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

conciliating the belligerent nations

When could mollify be used to replace pacify?

The words mollify and pacify are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mollify implies soothing hurt feelings or rising anger.

a speech that mollified the demonstrators

When might placate be a better fit than pacify?

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

a move to placate local opposition

When is it sensible to use propitiate instead of pacify?

Although the words propitiate and pacify have much in common, propitiate implies averting anger or malevolence especially of a superior being.

propitiated his parents by dressing up

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pacify Her younger sister, meanwhile, pacifies their father with silence. Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025 Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who has billions of dollars worth of federal contracts, has steered his Washington Post to pacify Trump — including killing an endorsement of Harris. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025 And without the pacifying force of the Dalai Lama, there will be fewer guardrails to prevent Sino-Tibetan disputes from sliding into intractable ethnic conflict. Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025 Harold Ross, the magazine’s founder, dispatched the editor Katharine Angell to pacify her. Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pacify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacify
Verb
  • The statement could have also been to appease producer groups to some extent who are against these import ideas.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • This does nothing to appease Robert’s obsession.
    Kirk Honeycutt, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Arden Arcade crash ended the chase before deputies sent in a K-9 to subdue the suspect, said sheriff’s officials.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Officers then tried to subdue him with less-lethal beanbag rounds and a K-9 unit, but those attempts were unsuccessful.
    Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Narrowing searches to those with experience running a company or a major business unit means they are confined to a much smaller pool of executives with decades of experience and, because of historic hiring patterns, that talent pool is dominated by White men, Williams said.
    Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Advertisement Although a senior member of Fatah—the secular nationalist party that dominates the Palestinian Authority—Barghouti has maintained good relations with Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza.
    Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Want to know more about latest viral trend to conquer short nails?
    Laura Solla, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Amy Schumer has conquered comedy and television.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Lucido's office said Martin also has a habitual offender, fourth-offense notice, subjecting him to life in prison if he is convicted of any of the primary felony charges, according to a release.
    Christina Hall, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The move would subject SpaceX to competition from space technology rivals like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pacify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacify. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pacify

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