Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense pacifies, present participle pacifying, past tense, past participle pacified
1. verb
If you pacify someone who is angry, upset, or not pleased, you succeed in making them calm or pleased.
Is this a serious step, or is this just something to pacify the critics? [VERB noun]
She shrieked again, refusing to be pacified. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: calm (down), appease, placate, still More Synonyms of pacify
2. verb
If the army or the police pacify a group of people, they use force to overcome their resistance or protests.
Government forces have found it difficult to pacify the rebels. [VERB noun]
They were eventually pacified by officers of the local police. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: quell, silence, crush, put down More Synonyms of pacify
pacification (pæsɪfɪkeɪʃən)uncountable noun
...the pacification of the country. [+ of]
pacify in British English
(ˈpæsɪˌfaɪ)
verbWord forms: -fies, -fying or -fied(transitive)
1.
to calm the anger or agitation of; mollify
2.
to restore to peace or order, esp by the threat or use of force
Derived forms
pacifiable (ˈpaciˌfiable)
adjective
Word origin
C15: from Old French pacifier; see pacific
pacify in American English
(ˈpæsəˌfaɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈpaciˌfied or ˈpaciˌfying
1.
to make peaceful or calm; appease; tranquilize
2.
a.
to establish or secure peace in (a nation, etc.)
b. US
to seek to neutralize or win over (people in occupied areas)
SYNONYMY NOTE: pacify implies a making quiet and peaceful that which has become noisy or disorderly [to pacify a crying child]; appease suggests a pacifying by gratifying or giving in to the demands of [to appease one's hunger]; mollify suggests a soothing of wounded feelings or an allaying of indignation [his compliments failed to mollify her]; placate implies the changing of a hostile or angry attitude to a friendly or favorable one[to placate an offended colleague]; propitiate implies an allaying or forestalling of hostile feeling by winning the good will of[to propitiate a deity]; conciliate implies the use of arbitration, concession, persuasion, etc. in an attempt to winover
OPPOSITES: anger, enrage
Derived forms
pacifiable (ˈpaciˌfiable)
adjective
Word origin
ME pacifien < OFr pacefier < L pacificare < pax (gen. pacis), peace + facere, to make, do1
Examples of 'pacify' in a sentence
pacify
You must not do things to pacify certain groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
pacify
British English: pacify VERB
If you pacify someone who is angry, upset, or not pleased, you succeed in making them calm or pleased.
Is this a serious step, or is this just something to pacify the critics?
American English: pacify
Brazilian Portuguese: acalmar
Chinese: 安抚
European Spanish: apaciguar
French: pacifier
German: beruhigen
Italian: rabbonire
Japanese: なだめる
Korean: 달래다
European Portuguese: acalmar
Latin American Spanish: apaciguar
1 (verb)
Definition
to soothe or calm
Is this just something to pacify the critics?
Synonyms
calm (down)
appease
The offer has not appeased separatists.
placate
He smiled, and made a gesture intended to placate me.
still
Her crying slowly stilled.
The people's voice has been stilled.
content
quiet
moderate
They are hoping that she will be persuaded to moderate her views.
compose
soften
He could not think how to soften the blow of what he had to tell her.
soothe
He would take her in his arms and soothe her.
allay
He did what he could to allay the children's fears.
assuage
The meat they'd managed to procure assuaged their hunger.
make peace with
mollify
The investigation was undertaken to mollify pressure groups.
ameliorate
conciliate
My duty is to conciliate the people, not to provoke them.
propitiate
These ancient ceremonies propitiate the spirits of the waters.
tranquillize
The powerful drug is used to tranquillize patients.
smooth someone's ruffled feathers
clear the air with
restore harmony to
2 (verb)
The government has found it difficult to pacify dissatisfied voters.
Synonyms
quell
Troops eventually quelled the unrest.
silence
The shock silenced her completely.
crush
The military operation was the first step in a plan to crush the uprising.
put down
tame
Security guards helped to tame the crowd.
subdue
They admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.
repress
They have been repressed for decades.
chasten
He has clearly not been chastened by his punishment.
impose peace upon
Seecalm
Nearby words of
pacify
pacific
pacifism
pacifist
pacify
pack
pack someone in
pack someone off
Synonyms of 'pacify'
pacify
Explore 'pacify' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of chasten
Definition
to subdue (someone) by criticism
He has clearly not been chastened by his punishment.
Synonyms
subdue,
discipline,
cow,
curb,
humble,
soften,
humiliate,
tame,
afflict,
repress,
put in your place
in the sense of conciliate
Definition
to try to end a disagreement with or pacify (someone)
My duty is to conciliate the people, not to provoke them.
Synonyms
pacify,
win over,
soothe,
reconcile,
disarm,
appease,
placate,
mollify,
propitiate
in the sense of crush
Definition
to control or subdue by force
The military operation was the first step in a plan to crush the uprising.
Synonyms
overcome,
overwhelm,
put down,
subdue,
overpower,
quash,
quell,
extinguish,
stamp out,
vanquish (literary),
conquer
in the sense of moderate
Definition
to make or become less extreme or violent
They are hoping that she will be persuaded to moderate her views.
Synonyms
soften,
control,
calm,
temper,
regulate,
quiet,
diminish,
decrease,
curb,
restrain,
tame,
subdue,
play down,
lessen,
repress,
mitigate,
tone down,
pacify,
modulate,
soft-pedal (informal)
in the sense of mollify
Definition
to make someone less angry or upset
The investigation was undertaken to mollify pressure groups.
Synonyms
pacify,
quiet,
calm,
compose,
soothe,
appease,
quell,
sweeten,
placate,
conciliate,
propitiate
in the sense of placate
Definition
to calm (someone) to stop him or her feeling angry or upset
He smiled, and made a gesture intended to placate me.
Synonyms
calm,
satisfy,
humour,
soothe,
appease,
assuage,
pacify,
mollify,
win someone over,
conciliate,
propitiate
in the sense of propitiate
Definition
to appease (someone, esp. a god or spirit)
These ancient ceremonies propitiate the spirits of the waters.
Synonyms
appease,
satisfy,
reconcile,
placate,
pacify,
make peace with,
mollify,
conciliate
in the sense of repress
Definition
to restrict the freedom of
They have been repressed for decades.
Synonyms
subdue,
abuse,
crush,
oppress,
quash,
wrong,
persecute,
quell,
subjugate,
maltreat,
trample underfoot,
tyrannize over,
rule with an iron hand
in the sense of silence
Definition
to cause (someone or something) to become silent
The shock silenced her completely.
Synonyms
quieten,
still,
quiet,
cut off,
subdue,
stifle,
cut short,
quell,
muffle,
deaden,
strike dumb
in the sense of soften
Definition
to make or become more sympathetic and less critical
He could not think how to soften the blow of what he had to tell her.
Synonyms
lessen,
moderate,
diminish,
temper,
lower,
relax,
ease,
calm,
modify,
cushion,
soothe,
subdue,
alleviate,
lighten,
quell,
muffle,
allay,
mitigate,
abate,
tone down,
assuage
Additional synonyms
in the sense of soothe
Definition
to make (a worried or angry person) calm and relaxed
He would take her in his arms and soothe her.
Synonyms
calm,
still,
quiet,
hush,
settle,
calm down,
appease,
lull,
mitigate,
pacify,
mollify,
smooth down,
tranquillize
in the sense of still
Definition
to make or become quiet or calm
Her crying slowly stilled.The people's voice has been stilled.
Synonyms
quieten,
calm,
subdue,
settle,
quiet,
silence,
soothe,
hush,
alleviate,
lull,
tranquillize
in the sense of subdue
Definition
to overcome and bring (a person or people) under control by persuasion or force
They admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.
Synonyms
overcome,
defeat,
master,
break,
control,
discipline,
crush,
humble,
put down,
conquer,
tame,
overpower,
overrun,
trample,
quell,
triumph over,
get the better of,
vanquish (literary),
beat down,
get under control,
get the upper hand over,
gain ascendancy over
in the sense of tame
Definition
to bring under control
Security guards helped to tame the crowd.
Synonyms
subdue,
suppress,
master,
discipline,
curb,
humble,
conquer,
repress,
bridle,
enslave,
subjugate,
bring to heel,
break the spirit of
in the sense of tranquillize
Definition
to give (someone) a drug to make them calm or calmer
The powerful drug is used to tranquillize patients.