as in sacrifice
something offered to atone
She made an offering as propitiation for her sins.
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Recent Examples of propitiation
Rulers couldn’t control the volume of water arriving from thousands of miles upstream but instead relied on a mixture of propitiation of the gods, informed predictions, and blind hope.
—
Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The coming propitiation looms large — an angel of mercy hovering over this melodrama, even at its most melodramatic.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 11 July 2023
Slavery was upheld in our original Constitution, as a propitiation between Southern states—where the economy thrummed on the backs of human chattel—and the states that had either no use for slavery or were considering its abolition.
—Rich Logis, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
The act of propitiation; gratitude reified.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Many customs and beliefs, rooted in ancient practices of affecting reality and averting danger by acts of propitiation and protection, are being reinvented—including wayside shrines on the sites of fatal accidents.
—Marina Warner, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
The scapegoat, as defined in the Book of Leviticus, is a propitiation.
—Sarah Jones, New Republic, 16 Feb. 2018
Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The coming propitiation looms large — an angel of mercy hovering over this melodrama, even at its most melodramatic.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 11 July 2023
Slavery was upheld in our original Constitution, as a propitiation between Southern states—where the economy thrummed on the backs of human chattel—and the states that had either no use for slavery or were considering its abolition.
—Rich Logis, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
The act of propitiation; gratitude reified.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Many customs and beliefs, rooted in ancient practices of affecting reality and averting danger by acts of propitiation and protection, are being reinvented—including wayside shrines on the sites of fatal accidents.
—Marina Warner, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
The scapegoat, as defined in the Book of Leviticus, is a propitiation.
—Sarah Jones, New Republic, 16 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propitiation
sacrifice
Noun
-
They were forced to offer their daughter as a sacrifice to Cetus to keep their entire kingdom from being ravaged by the sea monster.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Turning her yard into a parking lot for six or seven Saturdays a year means Giordani has to make sacrifices.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Propitiation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propitiation. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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