placatory

adjective

Definition of placatorynext
as in conciliatory
tending to lessen or avoid conflict or hostility a placatory effort to improve relations with the townspeople, who were upset about the wild campus parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for placatory
  1. conciliatory
  2. soothing
  3. benevolent
  4. comforting
  5. kind
  6. peaceful
Adjective
  • Morgan has a nice, conciliatory dinner with Gabe, which leads to a hug outside the restaurant, where Smallwood has some paparazzi strategically waiting.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Yet on balance, the president has been more conciliatory than competitive toward China.
    — Ali Wyne, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of conciliatory
Adjective
  • Ranging from loud and piercing to soft and soothing, the sounds of police surveillance drones mingled and merged with those of the protesters’ countersurveillance drones.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The noodles vibrate with heat, ricocheting between the prickly Sichuan pepper, hot garlic, chiles and soothing sesame.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of soothing
Adjective
  • This isn’t about shaming the Hawks for not being benevolent enough.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Larger-than-life Halloween celebrations rise up every October like the Great Pumpkin (or a benevolent spooky spirit or two) to captivate visitors with parades, caramel apples, costume contests, and more.
    — Michelle Mastro, Midwest Living, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of benevolent
Adjective
  • The pastas, in particular, are worth a visit alone, especially the rigatoni alla vodka, which uses a one-two umami punch of white miso and guanciale, along with the deliriously comforting rollatini with white ragu.
    — Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Silica and perlite also give skin a matte, slick-free finish, while the brand’s signature thermal spring water adds a comforting touch.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of comforting
Adjective
  • The party needs to reintroduce itself to a skeptical electorate as conservative, collaborative and kind.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2026
  • According to Alex, Walliams could be kind, encouraging, and supportive of her comedy ambitions, but also curt and cold.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of kind
Adjective
  • After the peaceful march in Barcelona, some protesters started to smash storefronts of brand-name stores on Paseo de Gracia, a main shopping boulevard.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The violence erupted after a largely peaceful march as Spain experienced its first general strike in 14 years, with workers demanding relief from skyrocketing rents and the rising cost of living.
    — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of peaceful
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.

Browse Nearby Words

placative
placatory
place
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Placatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/placatory. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All