placating 1 of 2

adjective

as in appeasing
tending to lessen or avoid conflict or hostility a placating comment that seemed to calm everyone down a bit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

placating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of placate
as in comforting
to lessen the anger or agitation of attempted to placate the screaming child by offering him a cookie

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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 placating
Verb
The note is there when Sugar gets back, placating his suspicions (for now) and deflating his ego. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 July 2026 Putin has struggled to manage fighting Kyiv on the one hand and placating domestic constituencies on the other. — Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026 In your opinion, should the shop have handled this differently—perhaps compensating or at least placating me? — Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026 If Paul’s creed is essentially Roman, then Christianity looks, from the outset, like a religion trained to live with empire, its compass always set toward placating power. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president. — Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026 Without these questions, our decisions become about placating requests. — Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026 The story’s correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi accused CBS News management of placating the White House, turning the decision into a public relations fiasco for the network. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026 The majority of the more than 200 speakers at the hearings, however, criticized the draft plan, often with passionate testimony, arguing that the state was simply placating water users and failing to demand the deeper water cutbacks necessary for restoring the delta and the upstream rivers. — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for placating
  1. conciliatory
  2. appeasing
  3. soothing
  4. comforting
  5. benevolent
  6. pacific
  7. peaceful
  8. calming
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
  • 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
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the in-cabin activities were equally soothing, with meditative coloring books, cards, board games, a yoga mat, and on-the-nose books about getting lost in nature’s beauty.
    — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Getting organized is emotionally soothing as the moon and Mercury harmonize.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of soothing
Adjective
  • While on vacation, eating a comforting hotel breakfast helps start your day off right.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Most of the album proceeds at a lazy ramble, a blend of the comforting countrypolitian and the folky wanderlust of the progressive country of the late ’60s.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of comforting
Adjective
  • In Chinese mythology, for example, dragons are revered as powerful, benevolent beings associated with rain, rivers, and fertility.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • His single mom, Laura, got by with assistance from the local church and benevolent relatives, including one who bought Warner football cleats.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of benevolent
Adjective
  • National Aquarium cams The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, operates a series of cameras of marine animals, including reef sharks, jellyfish and fish in a Pacific coral reef.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 1 June 2026
  • These conditions tend to suppress Atlantic hurricane development, whereas the eastern and central Pacific hurricane seasons are typically more active during strong El Niño events.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 1 June 2026
Definition of pacific
Adjective
  • After decades of relatively peaceful seas, cargo vessels have become high-priority targets, getting damaged, sunk or seized with abandon.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Even a short, narrow stream can create a peaceful effect as the water trickles and gurgles along.
    — Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of peaceful
Adjective
  • The songs on the album felt like intricate lullabies with a beautiful, calming, druggy sweetness to them.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 31 July 2026
  • Cherries and bananas rank among the most calming foods to eat before bed.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Definition of calming

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Cite this Entry

“Placating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/placating. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of placating for Spanish Speakers

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