1
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
a pacifying treat of milk and cookies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of pacifying
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
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
Adjective
-
And just hanging out with a couple of my close friends and my dogs and going somewhere fun and relaxing, or even just going to the movies.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The main level sports a spacious, open layout, with several distinct spaces for both entertaining and relaxing.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
What we’ve been taught to call intimacy—caretaking, appeasing, overfunctioning—is just codependency.—
Vanessa Bennett,
SELF,
10 Sep. 2025
-
And many brands and stores are appeasing consumer preference for cotton products to carry them through the fall and winter months.—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Giants won in all kinds of encouraging ways while subduing the wild-card-leading Cubs in a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The two also showed a demonstration of what a K9 takedown looks like, with Humphries acting as a target and K9 Bob subduing him.—
Richard Requena,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
They’re placed on or next to the body and struck with a mallet to release a calming vibration and mellifluous tone that eases muscles, sparking an immediately soothing effect on the nervous system and improving synaptic responses in the brain.—
Terry Elward,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Whatever the manifestation—hair-tucking, shorts-pulling, ball-bouncing, bobbing, pocket-checking, or something else entirely—the familiarity of these motions can have a soothing effect, calming the player’s nerves before a big shot.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Newsom seems to have found his footing nationally by catering to angry anti-Trump Democrats, his conciliatory remarks in the aftermath of Kirk’s shooting notwithstanding.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Even for those in the North who didn’t care a damn for the four million held in brutal bondage, or those who wanted a soft, conciliatory approach, the war began to take on new and moral meaning.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
No doubt fans would embrace the arena evolution as simply the next rung on the band’s inevitable, world-conquering trajectory.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Dealing with the origins of the armor as well as Arago’s previous attempts at conquering the world.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By implementing rigorous controls and subjecting them to human scrutiny, companies can guide this powerful technology toward valuable outcomes while mitigating risk factors.—
Steve Durbin,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has a difficult relationship with Zelensky, subjecting the Ukrainian leader to public and pointed criticism during his visit to the Oval Office in February.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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An older pet might benefit from an orthopedic dog bed, while an anxious pet could find a fluffy donut bed more calming and comfortable.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
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The décor is incredibly calming, the beds are super comfortable and the bathrooms are spacious.—
Sherrie Nachman,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pacifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifying. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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