pacifying 1 of 2

adjective

1
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
2
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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pacifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pacify
1
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
2
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
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
  1. relaxing
  2. soothing
  3. appeasing
  4. subduing
  5. comforting
  6. conciliatory
  7. conquering
  8. calming
Adjective
  • Optics expert, Jase Parnell-Brookes, gave them four stars in their full Canon 18x50 binoculars review for enabling a relaxing and impressive session of stargazing.
    — Harry Bennett, Space.com, 20 July 2026
  • Skip visually abrasive color palettes that don’t feel calming or relaxing.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 20 July 2026
Definition of relaxing
Adjective
  • Anyone who has watched the Sopranos knows there are few sights more soothing than watching Carmela Soprano lather her hands up to her elbows in lotion.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • If the baby continues crying after the bassinet reaches its highest soothing level, parents receive an alert through the mobile app.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of soothing
Verb
  • Interest—from both visitors and islanders—is gently shifting away from polishing playboy yachts or appeasing the decadent whims of retirees, to something, well, more real.
    — Jonnie Bayfield, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
  • But for most Republican members of Congress, appeasing Trump remains key to primary and electoral success.
    — SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of appeasing
Verb
  • Rome — The death of a Moroccan man in police custody has sparked protests – some violent – in the northern city of Bologna after video of the incident showing officers forcefully subduing the man circulated online.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Definition of subduing
Adjective
  • For the industry, that’s probably not the most comforting insight.
    — Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
  • The comforting whistle of air sweeping in and out of my velvet horse nostrils lulls me right to sleep.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of comforting
Adjective
  • Trump himself seemed to strike a more conciliatory tone when returning from the summit.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 9 July 2026
  • Trump reverses on housing bill Republican senators were eager for a conciliatory meeting with the president after escalating tensions in recent weeks.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of conciliatory
Verb
  • Warner always suspected his purpose, besides hitting and tackling and conquering challengers, was to inspire.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • In addition to conquering the Official Albums chart, Foreign Tongues rules the Official Albums Sales, Official Album Downloads, Official Physical Albums and Official Vinyl Albums rosters.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of conquering
Adjective
  • Besides providing access to a range of suburban adopters with big backyards, the ranch will offer a calming and spacious environment, especially for dogs more than 40 pounds, according to PAWS.
    — Mick Zawislak, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
  • Featuring top notes of orange, bergamot, and lemon mixed with honeyed florals and the essence of musk, cedarwood, and sandalwood, each item leaves behind a clean, calming, slightly herbaceous scent.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 13 July 2026
Definition of calming

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Cite this Entry

“Pacifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifying. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pacifying for Spanish Speakers

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