Synonyms of pacifying

pacifying 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in relaxing

tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress

a pacifying treat of milk and cookies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relaxing
• soothing
• tranquilizing
• comforting
• quieting
• calming
• hypnotic
• sedative
• narcotic
• lulling
• dreamy
• opiate
• analgesic
• depressant
• deadening
• anesthetic
• numbing
• antidepressant
• antianxiety
• anodyne
• antidepression
• antistress

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• painful
• stressful
• troubling
• tiresome
• trying
• unsettling
• stimulating
• worrisome
• stimulant
• troublesome
• irritating
• aggravating
• disturbing
• annoying
• frustrating
• energizing
• exasperating
• vexing
• irksome
• maddening
• vexatious
• bothersome
• invigorating
• galling
• harassing
• nettlesome
• grating

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

• appeasing
• soothing
• conciliatory
• placating
• calming
• placatory
• comforting
• mollifying
• peaceful
• quieting
• disarming
• benevolent
• pacific
• conciliating
• propitiatory
• relaxing
• kind
• gentle
• satisfying
• peacemaking
• kindly
• ingratiating
• winning
• tranquilizing
• peaceable
• passive
• endearing
• obliging
• unassertive
• nonbelligerent
• amiable
• winsome
• surrendering
• lulling
• unaggressive
• good-natured
• yielding
• submissive
• amicable
• agreeable
• affable
• genial
• good-tempered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inflammatory
• aggravating
• provoking
• irritating
• annoying
• frustrating
• provocative
• exasperating
• nagging
• abrasive
• offensive
• antagonizing
• vexing
• irksome
• maddening
• engaging
• hostile
• galling
• infuriating
• antagonistic
• riling
• inimical
• inhospitable
• nettling
• nettlesome
• unfriendly
• belligerent
• rankling
• military
• aggressive
• antipathetic
• assertive
• bellicose
• chafing
• confrontational
• combative
• unsympathetic
• warlike
• incensing
• pugnacious
• quarrelsome
• argumentative
• truculent
• contentious
• militaristic
• militant
• agonistic
• martial
• scrappy

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• appeasing
• comforting
• calming
• placating
• soothing
• consoling
• mollifying
• propitiating
• disarming
• conciliating
• pleasing
• assuaging
• satisfying
• quieting
• gentling
• delighting
• ingratiating
• contenting
• tranquilizing
• coaxing
• gratifying
• humoring
• gladdening
• hushing
• cajoling
• satiating
• wheedling
• indulging
• endearing (to)
• flattering
• quenching
• spoiling
• catering (to)
• sating
• mollycoddling
• coddling
• pampering
• babying
• sweetening
• adulating
• overpraising
• sweet-talking
• blarneying
• blandishing
• dulcifying
• soft-soaping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inflaming
• angering
• antagonizing
• enraging
• aggravating
• infuriating
• getting
• crossing
• irritating
• maddening
• incensing
• outraging
• riling
• bothering
• exasperating
• provoking
• annoying
• bugging
• ruffling
• roiling
• burning (up)
• vexing
• rousing
• iring
• grating
• rankling
• chafing
• irking
• nettling
• piquing
• putting out
• galling
• harassing
• pestering
• persecuting
• agitating
• harrying
• upsetting
• worrying
• distressing
• disturbing
• perturbing
• insulting
• fretting
• discomforting
• unsettling
• offending
• peeving
• unhinging
• affronting
• slighting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subduing
• conquering
• subjecting
• dominating
• defeating
• overcoming
• subjugating
• enslaving
• subordinating
• vanquishing
• reducing
• overpowering
• crushing
• beating
• quelling
• smashing
• annihilating
• whipping
• licking
• suppressing
• clobbering
• thrashing
• repressing
• routing
• walloping
• trouncing
• prevailing (over)
• mowing (down)
• silencing
• drubbing
• smothering
• quashing
• squashing
• triumphing (over)
• squelching
• clamping down (on)
• cracking down (on)
• skunking
• putting down
• snuffing (out)
• breaking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberating
• freeing
• emancipating
• discharging
• releasing
• springing
• enfranchising
• manumitting
• unchaining
• unbinding
• unfettering
• uncaging

Example Sentences

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