pacify

verb

pac·​i·​fy ˈpa-sə-ˌfī How to pronounce pacify (audio)
pacified; pacifying

transitive verb

1
a
: to allay the anger or agitation of : soothe
pacify a crying child
b
: appease, propitiate
tried to pacify the enemy with compromises
2
a
: to restore to a tranquil state : settle
made an attempt to pacify the commotion
b
: to reduce to a submissive state : subdue
forces moved in to pacify the country
pacifiable adjective

Did you know?

Pacify is the oldest of a set of soothing words that floated into English on the buoy of Latin pac- or pax, meaning “peace.” It arrived in the 15th century, and was followed by pacifier and pacific in the subsequent century. These words and other pac-/pax relations have proven useful. While 16th century pacifiers soothed and subdued in general ways, by the turn of the 20th century pacifier was being used with a new meaning referring specifically to a device for a baby to suck on. Also dating to around the turn of the 20th century are pacifist and pacifism. Pay also comes ultimately from this root (by way of Latin pacare, meaning “to pacify”), as does the gentlest of this lexical family, the word peace itself.

Choose the Right Synonym for pacify

pacify, appease, placate, mollify, propitiate, conciliate mean to ease the anger or disturbance of.

pacify suggests a soothing or calming.

pacified by a sincere apology

appease implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions.

appease their territorial ambitions

placate suggests changing resentment or bitterness to goodwill.

a move to placate local opposition

mollify implies soothing hurt feelings or rising anger.

a speech that mollified the demonstrators

propitiate implies averting anger or malevolence especially of a superior being.

propitiated his parents by dressing up

conciliate suggests ending an estrangement by persuasion, concession, or settling of differences.

conciliating the belligerent nations

Examples of pacify in a Sentence

She resigned from her position to pacify her accusers. Their efforts to pacify the nation by force failed. trying to pacify a mob of protesters
Recent Examples on the Web The country’s school curricula and general historical works are being revised to place more emphasis on Arabian culture and the decisive role the royal family played in unifying and pacifying the region beginning in the eighteenth century. Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024 The legislature has been drained of opposition figures and the streets, once full of protesters, have been pacified. Theodora Yu, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Local officials said police would investigate the incident in an attempt to pacify the villagers. Aijaz Hussain The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Dec. 2023 For far too long, boards of trustees have been content to act as rubber stamps for university presidents, pacified by promises of tickets to football games and a go-along-to-get-along boardroom culture. WSJ, 29 Nov. 2023 OpenAI has to serve its overall mission of helping humanity while also pacifying investors who, after the recent crisis, are demanding a greater say in the organization’s direction. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023 The sweeping reversal of zero COVID may pacify some of the angry protesters who took to the streets to reject lockdown measures in November, but disquiet and dissent have grown. Lynette H. Ong, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2023 Channing Tatum can beatbox lullabies Less than a year after he was named 2012's Sexiest Man Alive, Tatum became a dad to daughter Everly, and according to his now-ex Jenna Dewan, The Lost City star used some undiscovered talents to pacify his crying infant. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023 But the changes have done little to pacify its critics at the state and federal level, who contend the company has shirked its responsibility to protect its most vulnerable young users. Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pacify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pacifien, from Anglo-French pacifier, from Latin pacificare, from pac-, pax peace

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pacify was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near pacify

Cite this Entry

“Pacify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pacify. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pacify

verb
pac·​i·​fy ˈpas-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce pacify (audio)
pacified; pacifying
1
: to make peaceful or quiet
pacify a crying child
2
: to restore to a peaceful state : settle, subdue
sent troops to pacify the country
pacification
ˌpas-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
noun
Etymology

Middle English pacifien "to soothe the anger or disturbance of, make peaceful," from Latin pacificare (same meaning), from pac-, pax "peace" — related to appease, peace

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