pacify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to calm the anger or agitation of; mollify
-
to restore to peace or order, esp by the threat or use of force
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
repacifyverb (used with object)
-
nonpacifiableadjective
-
pacifiableadjective
-
unpacifiableadjective
-
unpacifiedadjective
-
pacifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pacifysimple
-
pacifiessimple
-
have pacifiedperfect
-
has pacifiedperfect
-
am pacifyingprogressive
-
are pacifyingprogressive
-
is pacifyingprogressive
-
have been pacifyingperfect progressive
-
has been pacifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
pacifiedsimple
-
had pacifiedperfect
-
was pacifyingprogressive
-
were pacifyingprogressive
-
had been pacifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pacify
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Old French pacef(i)ier, pacifier, from Latin pācificāre “to make peace”; see pacific, -fy
Explanation
If you are bringing peace or calm to a state of unrest, you are pacifying the situation. Just think of the transformation a squalling baby undergoes when a pacifier is placed within his mouth, and you will remember the power of the verb to pacify. If you work to establish peace in a certain location between factions at war, then you are working to pacify a country or region. The U.N. has specially trained workers, called peace keepers, who go into to trouble spots to try to pacify rebellions factions and restore order. Or, one can pacify a disgruntled crowd: "The store manager attempted to pacify the restless crowd of shoppers by promising the popular out-of-stock item would soon be back on the shelves."
Vocabulary lists containing pacify
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Power Suffix: -fy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Farewell to Manzanar
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His top priority since taking power has been to unite a bitterly divided Syria, and pacify external relations with its neighbours, while he cements his power and control.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2025
We are easier to marginalize and to pacify if we fold ourselves into such tiny boxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2024
It starts with Lamar rapping quickly but calmly over a smooth-jazz backdrop, taunting, “I make music that electrify ’em, you make music that pacify ’em.”
From New York Times ● May 3, 2024
Local officials said police would investigate the incident, in an attempt to pacify the villagers.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2023
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. But don’t fabricate some story out of a misguided desire to pacify or impress me.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
“People are saying, ‘Let’s give our peculiar new king a chance,’ while the prospect of an election pacifies a lot of the frustration and rage that people would otherwise feel.”
From New York Times ● May 7, 2023
Nov. 8 is his “Groundhog Day,” on endless repeat, in a way that pleases and pacifies him.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2017
But most of all, the playoffs and progress depend upon some clear direction in an organization that has shown indecision as it pacifies its various factions.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2016
“Is it really something that pacifies? Or is it something that drives apart?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2016
But it amused, it pacified me, as prayer to their self-invented deities pacifies the devout.
From The History of Sir Richard Calmady A Romance by Malet, Lucas
“What catches on is completely unpredictable, there’s almost a mysterious alchemy to it. What’s clear is this: The regime hasn’t pacified them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026
This is a man who has pacified a team who seemed to be at war with itself once.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2024
“I have faith that very soon all this region is going to be pacified and brotherhood and concord will return,” he said during a recent visit to La Concordia to inaugurate a new bridge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
“It will see that the members of the crowd listening to Griffin were calmed and pacified compared to protesters around them.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
He pacified his conscience by promising himself a compensatingly harder self-discipline, purifications the more complete and thorough.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Or you might enter directly from the street into an office, without the pacifying liminal space of a waiting room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
If the Fed is otherwise confident in its bank-liquidity regulations, there’s no obvious reason pacifying the overnight lending market should be a policy concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
The government sees employment as key to pacifying China's most pessimistic generation in decades, while graduates gaining even limited work experience can also benefit their future employers if the economy recovers, analysts say.
From Reuters ● Nov. 14, 2023
Rights groups in the past have dismissed government probes as a public relations tool aimed at pacifying public anger.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
He moved among them like a politician, cajoling, encouraging, smiling, gently disagreeing, pacifying.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
