pacify
verb
pac·i·fy ˈpa-sə-ˌfī 
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
ˌpa-sə-ˈfī-ə-bəl
adjective 
Did you know?
A parent who wants to win a little peace and quiet might give a fussy baby a pacifier. An employer seeking to avoid worker discontent might pay employees well. These actions may seem unrelated, but etymologically speaking, they have a lot in common. Both pacifier and pay are ultimately derived from pax, the Latin word for "peace." As you may have guessed, pax is also the source of our word peace. Pacify comes to us through Middle English pacifien, from the Latin verb pacificare, which derives from pax.
Synonyms
- appease
- assuage
- conciliate
- disarm
- gentle
- mollify
- placate
- propitiate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. 
Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Her apology did not do much to pacify outraged members of the community. Nicole Kagan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Here, the story’s grandmother character is the real villain, the real predator, and one who attempts to pacify the protective dogs with a smile and a bone. San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Bullying from grown men and grown women to score political points, to pacify constituents whipped up into a frenzy by talk radio jerks and cable TV hatemongers. al, 8 Apr. 2022 But then they would be left trying to pacify more than 40 million mostly hostile Ukrainians, which would require most of the active-duty military, leaving little for further invasions. Benjamin H. Friedman, The Week, 20 Mar. 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Krishan Francis, ajc, 29 Apr. 2022 See More
Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Her apology did not do much to pacify outraged members of the community. Nicole Kagan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Here, the story’s grandmother character is the real villain, the real predator, and one who attempts to pacify the protective dogs with a smile and a bone. San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Bullying from grown men and grown women to score political points, to pacify constituents whipped up into a frenzy by talk radio jerks and cable TV hatemongers. al, 8 Apr. 2022 But then they would be left trying to pacify more than 40 million mostly hostile Ukrainians, which would require most of the active-duty military, leaving little for further invasions. Benjamin H. Friedman, The Week, 20 Mar. 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 Both the president and prime minister have held on to their positions, while three other Rajapaksa family members resigned from the Cabinet earlier in April in what appeared an attempt to pacify angry protesters. Krishan Francis, ajc, 29 Apr. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
pacify
verb
pac·i·fy ˈpa-sə-ˌfī
pacified; pacifying
: to make peaceful or quiet : calm, soothe
The babysitter tried to pacify the crying baby.
pacifying 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in soothing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress a pacifying treat of milk and cookies Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- soothing
- relaxing
- quieting
- tranquillizing
- comforting
- tranquilizing
- calming
- lulling
- hypnotic
- sedative
- narcotic
- dreamy
- opiate
- analgesic
- deadening
- anodyne
- anesthetic
- depressant
- numbing
- antianxiety
- antidepressant
- antidepression
- antistress
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stimulating
- tiresome
- trying
- painful
- troubling
- unsettling
- stressful
- worrisome
- aggravating
- irritating
- stimulant
- energizing
- troublesome
- disturbing
- exasperating
- annoying
- frustrating
- vexing
- irksome
- maddening
- invigorating
- vexatious
- bothersome
- harassing
- galling
- nettlesome
- grating
2
as in appeasing
tending to lessen or avoid conflict or hostility the referee adopted a pacifying tone to try to calm everyone down Synonyms & Similar Words
- appeasing
- placating
- mollifying
- quieting
- soothing
- conciliating
- calming
- conciliatory
- comforting
- disarming
- pacific
- peacemaking
- placatory
- peaceful
- benevolent
- relaxing
- propitiatory
- kind
- satisfying
- gentle
- ingratiating
- winning
- kindly
- tranquilizing
- lulling
- obliging
- peaceable
- tranquillizing
- endearing
- passive
- surrendering
- winsome
- nonbelligerent
- unassertive
- yielding
- amiable
- unaggressive
- submissive
- amicable
- agreeable
- affable
- good-natured
- genial
- good-tempered
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- aggravating
- provoking
- inflammatory
- irritating
- antagonizing
- exasperating
- nagging
- annoying
- frustrating
- abrasive
- provocative
- vexing
- irksome
- engaging
- maddening
- offensive
- hostile
- infuriating
- riling
- maddening
- galling
- antagonistic
- nettling
- inhospitable
- inimical
- belligerent
- nettlesome
- rankling
- unfriendly
- bellicose
- military
- assertive
- combative
- confrontational
- aggressive
- antipathetic
- chafing
- incensing
- warlike
- unsympathetic
- pugnacious
- quarrelsome
- argumentative
- truculent
- militaristic
- militant
- contentious
- agonistic
- martial
- scrappy
pacifying
2 of 2verb
1
as in placating
to lessen the anger or agitation of the only thing that would pacify the child and end the tantrum was a new toy Synonyms & Similar Words
- appeasing
- placating
- comforting
- calming
- soothing
- mollifying
- consoling
- propitiating
- disarming
- conciliating
- pleasing
- assuaging
- quieting
- satisfying
- gentling
- delighting
- ingratiating
- tranquilizing
- contenting
- coaxing
- gratifying
- humoring
- tranquillizing
- hushing
- cajoling
- satiating
- gladdening
- wheedling
- indulging
- adulating
- flattering
- quenching
- coddling
- mollycoddling
- sating
- pampering
- spoiling
- babying
- sweetening
- overpraising
- sweet-talking
- endearing (to)
- blarneying
- blandishing
- dulcifying
- catering (to)
- soft-soaping
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- inflaming
- angering
- antagonizing
- enraging
- aggravating
- infuriating
- irritating
- getting
- incensing
- riling
- crossing
- maddening
- outraging
- bothering
- provoking
- exasperating
- bugging
- annoying
- rousing
- roiling
- ruffling
- enflaming
- vexing
- irking
- nettling
- rankling
- grating
- iring
- chafing
- burning (up)
- harassing
- piquing
- galling
- pestering
- agitating
- persecuting
- harrying
- upsetting
- putting out
- disturbing
- worrying
- distressing
- perturbing
- insulting
- discomforting
- fretting
- offending
- unsettling
- peeving
- unhinging
- affronting
- slighting
2
as in subduing
to bring under one's control by force of arms additional ground forces were needed to occupy those areas that had already been pacified Synonyms & Similar Words
- subduing
- conquering
- subjecting
- dominating
- defeating
- subjugating
- overcoming
- enslaving
- vanquishing
- subordinating
- reducing
- overpowering
- crushing
- quelling
- beating
- annihilating
- smashing
- licking
- whipping
- suppressing
- clobbering
- thrashing
- repressing
- routing
- walloping
- trouncing
- silencing
- drubbing
- smothering
- squashing
- quashing
- squelching
- mowing (down)
- skunking
- triumphing (over)
- breaking
- prevailing (over)
- putting down
- clamping down (on)
- cracking down (on)
- snuffing (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- liberating
- emancipating
- freeing
- discharging
- enfranchising
- releasing
- springing
- manumitting
- unfettering
- unchaining
- unbinding
- uncaging
- oversee
- overseed
- overseeded
- overseeding
- overseeds
- overseeing
- overseen
- overseer
- overseer of the poor
- overseers
- overseership
- oversees
- oversell
- overselling
- oversells
- oversensitive
- oversensitiveness
- oversensitivenesses
- oversensitivities
- oversensitivity
- oversentimentalize
- overserious
- overseriously
- overserve
- overserved