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placate

verb
pla·​cate | \ ˈplā-ˌkāt How to pronounce placate (audio) , ˈpla- How to pronounce placate (audio) \
placated; placating

Definition of placate

transitive verb

: to soothe or mollify especially by concessions : appease
Other Words from placate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Soothe Yourself With the History of Placate Example Sentences Learn More about placate

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Other Words from placate

placater noun
placatingly \ ˈplā-​ˌkā-​tiŋ-​lē How to pronounce placatingly (audio) , ˈpla-​ \ adverb
placation \ plā-​ˈkā-​shən How to pronounce placation (audio) , pla-​ \ noun
placative \ ˈplā-​ˌkā-​tiv How to pronounce placative (audio) , ˈpla-​ \ adjective
placatory \ ˈplā-​kə-​ˌtȯr-​ē How to pronounce placatory (audio) , ˈpla-​ \ adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for placate

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

Soothe Yourself With the History of Placate

The earliest documented uses of "placate" in English date from the late 17th century. The word is derived from Latin placatus, the past participle of "placare," and even after more than 300 years in English, it still carries the basic meaning of its Latin ancestor: to soothe or "to appease." Other "placare" descendants in English are "implacable" (meaning "not easily soothed or satisfied") and "placation" ("the act of soothing or appeasing"). Even "please" itself, derived from Latin placēre ("to please"), is a distant relative of "placate."

Examples of placate in a Sentence

Although Rumsfeld was later thrown overboard by the Administration in an attempt to placate critics of the Iraq War, his military revolution was here to stay. — Jeremy Scahill, Nation, 2 Apr. 2007 The first step that women took in their emancipation was to adopt traditional male roles: to insist on their right to wear trousers, not to placate, not to smile, not to be decorative. — Fay Weldon, Harper's, May 1998 These spirits inhabited natural objects, like rivers and mountains, including celestial bodies, like the sun and moon. They had to be placated and their favors sought in order to ensure the fertility of the soil and the rotation of the seasons. — Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988 But it seems important to the Thunderbirds to make a big deal out of this; evidently it placates congressmen who don't think the Air Force should be in show biz. — Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 3 Aug. 1987 The administration placated protesters by agreeing to consider their demands. The angry customer was not placated by the clerk's apology.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 None of this will placate cynics who see the entire exercise as a boondoggle. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "Park-topped Transbay transit center pays architectural dividends, past troubles aside," 26 Aug. 2019 Getting rid of targeted ads on children’s content could hit Google’s bottom line — but this solution would be far less expensive than other potential remedies that aim to placate regulators. — Mark Bergen, Los Angeles Times, "YouTube plans to end targeted ads on videos aimed at kids," 20 Aug. 2019 And even if the reason — the legislators’ motive — is obvious to any sentient observer: to placate rent-seekers. — George Will, Twin Cities, "George Will: The land of the free and the home of the rent-seekers," 15 Aug. 2019 In the aftermath of the protests of 2011-12, the Kremlin tried to placate Moscow’s urban middle class by pouring money into building a model modern city, complete with bicycle lanes and food halls. — The Economist, "Moscow’s protests are inspired by the thuggery of the Kremlin," 25 July 2019 Saeed’s past arrests were seen as part of the Pakistani government’s periodic efforts to placate the increasing impatience in Washington with its longtime support of Lashkar and other militant groups. — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, "Trump Cheers as Pakistan Rounds Up the Usual Suspect in Mumbai Case," 17 July 2019 New German government takes shape | Angela Merkel nominated an up-and-coming conservative to her cabinet as health minister, part of a bid to placate party critics of her immigration policy while maintaining her centrist approach to governing. — Brendan Scott, Bloomberg.com, "Xi Jinping Is Here to Stay as China’s Ruler," 26 Feb. 2018 At some point, during [head coach Pat] Shurmur’s second season, the focus needs to be on winning rather than placating Manning’s legacy. — Robert Klemko, SI.com, "How One Agent Is Working to Strengthen Diversity in the NFL’s Head Coaching Ranks," 15 July 2019 The party’s Brexit policy has been built on placating the former, who are more numerous, while not scaring off the latter. — The Economist, "Labour faces another summer of discontent," 4 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'placate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of placate

1678, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for placate

Latin placatus, past participle of placare — more at please

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More Definitions for placate

placate

verb
How to pronounce placate (audio) How to pronounce placate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of placate

formal : to cause (someone) to feel less angry about something

See the full definition for placate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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