1
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
a pacifying treat of milk and cookies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in comforting
to lessen the anger or agitation of
the only thing that would pacify the child and end the tantrum was a new toy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pacifying
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Rather than unifying and pacifying a populace, this kind of media encouraged idiosyncratic, extreme views.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 Sep. 2025
And without the pacifying force of the Dalai Lama, there will be fewer guardrails to prevent Sino-Tibetan disputes from sliding into intractable ethnic conflict.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
That transformed the industry by giving it a clear American base — and by pacifying agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission that had been, under Biden, openly hostile.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Rather than unifying and pacifying a populace, this kind of media encouraged idiosyncratic, extreme views.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 Sep. 2025
And without the pacifying force of the Dalai Lama, there will be fewer guardrails to prevent Sino-Tibetan disputes from sliding into intractable ethnic conflict.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacifying
Adjective
-
And just hanging out with a couple of my close friends and my dogs and going somewhere fun and relaxing, or even just going to the movies.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The main level sports a spacious, open layout, with several distinct spaces for both entertaining and relaxing.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So far, efforts at appeasing the MAGA outrage machine have only backfired.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
In fact, Western leaders are mostly appeasing domestic constituencies outraged by the suffering of ordinary Gazans.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Giants won in all kinds of encouraging ways while subduing the wild-card-leading Cubs in a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The two also showed a demonstration of what a K9 takedown looks like, with Humphries acting as a target and K9 Bob subduing him.—
Richard Requena,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
With a skin-loving trifecta of hyaluronic acid, madecassoside (more commonly known as centella asiatica), and vitamin B5 (which binds to and holds water to moisturize the skin), the formula goes beyond basic moisturization, effectively smoothing, soothing, and repairing dry, tight skin.—
Danielle Cohen,
Glamour,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Four soothing ways to help a sore throat.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This whole situation is not exactly being made better by vocal Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, who has not exactly gone down the conciliatory road, and has been arguing with fans about these problems or issuing statements that are let’s say, controversial and prone to be ratioed.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This allegedly occurred because Alderon was anything but conciliatory.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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No doubt fans would embrace the arena evolution as simply the next rung on the band’s inevitable, world-conquering trajectory.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Dealing with the origins of the armor as well as Arago’s previous attempts at conquering the world.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By implementing rigorous controls and subjecting them to human scrutiny, companies can guide this powerful technology toward valuable outcomes while mitigating risk factors.—
Steve Durbin,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has a difficult relationship with Zelensky, subjecting the Ukrainian leader to public and pointed criticism during his visit to the Oval Office in February.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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An older pet might benefit from an orthopedic dog bed, while an anxious pet could find a fluffy donut bed more calming and comfortable.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
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The décor is incredibly calming, the beds are super comfortable and the bathrooms are spacious.—
Sherrie Nachman,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pacifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifying. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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