as in sacrifice
something offered to atone
She made an offering as propitiation for her sins.
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Recent Examples of propitiation
In order to receive atonement for sins, most Christians believe that God was manifest in the flesh in Jesus Christ and shed his sinless blood as a propitiation for their sins (Romans 3:25).
—
Peter Cordi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Dec. 2025
Rulers couldn’t control the volume of water arriving from thousands of miles upstream but instead relied on a mixture of propitiation of the gods, informed predictions, and blind hope.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The coming propitiation looms large — an angel of mercy hovering over this melodrama, even at its most melodramatic.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 11 July 2023
Slavery was upheld in our original Constitution, as a propitiation between Southern states—where the economy thrummed on the backs of human chattel—and the states that had either no use for slavery or were considering its abolition.
—Rich Logis, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
The act of propitiation; gratitude reified.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Many customs and beliefs, rooted in ancient practices of affecting reality and averting danger by acts of propitiation and protection, are being reinvented—including wayside shrines on the sites of fatal accidents.
—Marina Warner, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
The scapegoat, as defined in the Book of Leviticus, is a propitiation.
—Sarah Jones, New Republic, 16 Feb. 2018
Peter Cordi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Dec. 2025
Rulers couldn’t control the volume of water arriving from thousands of miles upstream but instead relied on a mixture of propitiation of the gods, informed predictions, and blind hope.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The coming propitiation looms large — an angel of mercy hovering over this melodrama, even at its most melodramatic.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 11 July 2023
Slavery was upheld in our original Constitution, as a propitiation between Southern states—where the economy thrummed on the backs of human chattel—and the states that had either no use for slavery or were considering its abolition.
—Rich Logis, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
The act of propitiation; gratitude reified.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Many customs and beliefs, rooted in ancient practices of affecting reality and averting danger by acts of propitiation and protection, are being reinvented—including wayside shrines on the sites of fatal accidents.
—Marina Warner, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
The scapegoat, as defined in the Book of Leviticus, is a propitiation.
—Sarah Jones, New Republic, 16 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propitiation
sacrifice
Noun
-
Fashion was worth the sacrifice.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement are alarmed by the speed of the rollbacks, noting that protections won through generations of sacrifice have been weakened in little more than a decade.—
Kim Chandler,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Propitiation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propitiation. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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