1
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
a pacifying treat of milk and cookies
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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
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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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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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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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacifying
Adjective
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Try these for winter gatherings, special celebrations, or simply a relaxing break from the cold.—
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From navigation and communication to refrigeration and remote work, losing power on the road can quickly turn a relaxing trip into a stressful situation.—
Verb
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Parents are questioning whether four years and six figures are worth it, especially as campuses are increasingly overtaken by chaos, radical activism, and administrators more concerned with appeasing ideological mobs than educating students.—
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And yet, beneath the veil of politeness, there was rhetoric from the US president that suggests his default position in negotiations is still to pressure Kyiv, while appeasing Moscow.—
Verb
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As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.—
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The past two months of mostly sideways churn within 3% of record highs for the S & P 500 has helped to rebalance the market, puncturing the aggressive sense of destiny around many AI plays, subduing some speculative misbehavior and allowing valuations to settle.—
Adjective
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These are the bad bathroom layouts keeping your space from feeling like a sanctuary, and designers are sharing how to switch things up for a much more soothing space.—
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Warm, soothing, and comforting – chicken soup is really good for the soul.—
Adjective
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Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a more conciliatory tone, urging dialogue and promising economic reforms in bid to placate demonstrators demanding political change, action on corruption and relief from rising living costs.—
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Opponents found a conciliatory tone, mostly concerned with vague details Neighbors offered about security, screening and how residents will use the associated auto shop on site.—
Verb
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Food and drink All-conquering culinary Alpinist Jean-Georges Vongerichten has planted his flag in Dublin at Jean-Georges at The Leinster.—
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The key to conquering such a bold shade?—
Verb
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From there, lab directors select the wells with the highest concentrations of each virus, subjecting a reserved portion to further genetic analysis, which shows which subtype of each virus is present.—
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She was bound and kidnapped as the trio drove her to Broward County, subjecting her to six to 10 hours of threatening to kill and rape her — at one point assaulting her.—
Adjective
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Whether for the potluck, the cookout, or a Wednesday night dinner with your family, these Southern side dishes are comforting, easy, and crowd-pleasing.—
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In those cases, soft lighting, quiet music, or a comforting scent can make the space feel safer.—
Cite this Entry
“Pacifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifying. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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