PACIFYING Synonyms: 245 Similar and Opposite Words

pacifying 1 of 2

adjective

as in relaxing

tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress a pacifying treat of milk and cookies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in appeasing

tending to lessen or avoid conflict or hostility the referee adopted a pacifying tone to try to calm everyone down

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pacifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pacify

as in comforting

to lessen the anger or agitation of the only thing that would pacify the child and end the tantrum was a new toy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in subduing

to bring under one's control by force of arms additional ground forces were needed to occupy those areas that had already been pacified

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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 pacifying

Verb

Such tactics have never succeeded in pacifying Iranian society for long. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 That transformed the industry by giving it a clear American base — and by pacifying agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission that had been, under Biden, openly hostile. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Rather than unifying and pacifying a populace, this kind of media encouraged idiosyncratic, extreme views. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacifying

Adjective

What should be a relaxing weekend quickly veers off course as Chuck inserts himself into the group and tests the limits of their patience.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Common Mistakes Deadheading can be a relaxing task, but don’t overdo it.

— Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of relaxing

Adjective

Gas, reflux, growth spurts and other sources of discomfort can mean significantly more soothing and troubleshooting throughout the night.

— Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
The room was modern-rustic, with cedar-plank walls, limestone floors, hunks of Utah rock crystals, and a private back terrace with an outdoor swing overlooking a brook that provides a soothing nocturnal soundtrack.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of soothing

Verb

The bill now also includes a compromise on stablecoin yield aimed at appeasing banking interests by directing the Treasury secretary to restrict rewards if deposit flight from community banks occurs on a substantial scale.

— Garrett Downs, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Years of appeasing Vladimir Putin easily qualify for that mantle.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of appeasing

Verb

Beer that was fresh, full of flavor and aroma, and hadn’t traveled hundreds of miles or been pasteurized subduing the bright flavors.

— Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026
The drones rip through the hallways scanning for a threat before disorienting a suspect using flashing lights and subduing them using pepper balls or by ramming into their body, the company says.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of subduing

Adjective

Stuffing my face while crying about women being kinder to themselves would be really comforting.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
The emergence of 20-year-old Lewis Koumas into Liverpool’s first-team setup this season is a comforting positive in a tricky time of transition.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of comforting

Adjective

The talks on Sunday come ahead of next week’s leaders’ summit in Washington, DC; though the rhetoric between the White House and Beijing has been largely conciliatory in recent weeks, the reality has been harsher.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
At the same time, Jentleson has begun striking a more conciliatory tone toward the left.

— Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of conciliatory

Verb

Speaking of those chickens, Schreiber—whose fear of poultry started as a child, when his hippie parents moved the family to a commune in Canada—seems to be successfully conquering this particular anxiety.

— Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
John Deacon, Queen The members of Queen were magpies who could throw just about anything, from opera to rockabilly, into their world-conquering arena rock.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of conquering

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“Pacifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifying. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pacifying

adjective

verb

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