as in appeasing
tending to lessen or avoid conflict or hostility
a placating comment that seemed to calm everyone down a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in comforting
to lessen the anger or agitation of
attempted to placate the screaming child by offering him a cookie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
In 2018, Masahiro Sakurai made the biggest Smash yet, as the title suggests, taking years of post-release development and placating a fanbase that had hulking expectations, ending up with the third best selling game on Nintendo Switch.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
In 2018, Masahiro Sakurai made the biggest Smash yet, as the title suggests, taking years of post-release development and placating a fanbase that had hulking expectations, ending up with the third best selling game on Nintendo Switch.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for placating
Verb
-
Over the past month, Iranian officials have tried to carefully balance negotiations with Trump while appeasing powerful factions across the country’s diverse political landscape, including the Paydari group.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, publicly acknowledged discussions between the two governments last week and pledged a series of reforms aimed at appeasing Washington, a concession that indicated both the urgency of the domestic crisis and the vulnerability of the regime.—
Sarah Fitzpatrick,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Shange’s rainbow assemblage manages to be confrontational and conciliatory through a confessional accumulation that collapses poetry, movement, and ritual into a single and ever-changing event.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Sporting director Matt Hobbs initially moved to calm things down, holding conciliatory meetings with the management to draw the sting from the situation.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The relaxed linen texture keeps them looking elevated but still cozy, and the earthy tone ties the entire color palette together in such a soothing way.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
-
On the slightly more orange side, terra-cotta tones are viewed in design as healing, soothing, and warm.—
Petra Guglielmetti,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
When the church hall needs something hearty, comforting, and warm, this easy casserole is the universal answer.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
-
This comforting dish is unexpected but always welcome.—
Lizzy Briskin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Egyptians, crops would not grow without Horus and his benevolent eye shining down between the clouds.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
The overflow doctor had benevolent eyes and doughy cheeks, like fresh loaves of bread.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Courtesy: Apple Apple on Tuesday sent invites to the media and analysts for a launch event at its campus on September 9 at 10 A.M pacific time.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That rally ended in sudden disruption that experts later said involved the use of a sonic weapon against peaceful demonstrators.—
Jovana Gec,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
Iran has always insisted its program is peaceful.—
Samy Magdy,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
The soft green tones subtly pull in the olive pillows across my bed, while the abstract landscape design creates a calming, serene vibe that still feels neutral enough to work long term.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
-
Rather than acting out on the anger, take a calming moment with some deep breaths, and think about the possibility that your partner was possibly distracted or stressed out.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Placating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/placating. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
