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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  • Kate Hudson enjoyed a relaxing beach day with her kids, 7-year-old Rani and 14-year-old Bingham, in Athens, Greece.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • Audiences want a quiet, efficient, relaxing, fun, visually engaging, communal experience unavailable at home.
    — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026
Definition of relaxing
Adjective
  • That a series finally found some new themes to focus on is as much a soothing break as all the B-roll of ocean waves and clapboard houses.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • My nearly two-hour Manoa Mist treatment included a full-body sugar exfoliation and soothing-but-therapeutic lomi lomi massage, performed by a therapist who spent years in the medical field and really knew her stuff.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2026
Definition of soothing
Verb
  • Tauruses usually follow the rules and do what is suggested to thrive and prosper because appeasing others is easier than arguing.
    — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • With the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel being the current passageway, the economist said the Gordie Howe Bridge will alleviate the backups businesses have been seeing and are trying to avoid, while appeasing the many employees who travel back and forth for work.
    — Julia Avant, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Definition of appeasing
Verb
  • 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
  • Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Definition of subduing
Adjective
  • The toasty, yeasty aroma of sourdough straight out of the oven isn’t just comforting.
    — Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • The ground beef, tomatoes, and brown rice are combined into a comforting bowl of comfort food for cold days.
    — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
Definition of comforting
Adjective
  • 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
  • Republican senators were eager for a conciliatory meeting with the president after escalating tensions in recent weeks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
Definition of conciliatory
Verb
  • After not allowing any home runs in back-to-back starts against the Colorado Rockies, even conquering Coors Field’s hitter-friendly park, Imanaga surrendered three in Wednesday’s Game 2 win over the New York Mets.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Olivia Rodrigo Finally Hits the Downloads Chart’s Summit Rodrigo has come very close to conquering the Official Album Downloads chart in the past, but her first two studio LPs missed the throne by just one space.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of conquering
Adjective
  • Across America charms — all four of my rides last week ended in audience applause — by simply being a calming, relaxed journey that stokes our sense of adventure.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • This very quiet space with very little ambient sound was meant to not feel calming, but like a pressure.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 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 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pacifying for Spanish Speakers

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