appease
Americanverb (used with object)
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appeases,
present (3rd person singular)
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appeased,
past participle, past
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appeasing
present participle
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to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe.
to appease an angry king.
- Antonyms:
- enrage
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to satisfy, allay, or relieve; assuage.
The fruit appeased his hunger.
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to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of (a nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles.
- Antonyms:
- defy
verb
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to calm, pacify, or soothe, esp by acceding to the demands of
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to satisfy or quell (an appetite or thirst, etc)
Synonym Usage
Appease, conciliate, propitiate imply trying to preserve or obtain peace. To appease is to make anxious overtures and often undue concessions to satisfy the demands of someone with a greed for power, territory, etc.: Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler at Munich. To conciliate is to win an enemy or opponent over by displaying a willingness to be just and fair: When mutual grievances are recognized, conciliation is possible. To propitiate is to admit a fault, and, by trying to make amends, to allay hostile feeling: to propitiate an offended neighbor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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appeasablenessnoun
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appeasementnoun
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appeasernoun
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appeasableadjective
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nonappeasableadjective
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nonappeasingadjective
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unappeasableadjective
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unappeasedadjective
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unappeasingadjective
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appeasablyadverb
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appeasinglyadverb
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unappeasablyadverb
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unappeasinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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appeasesimple
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appeasessimple
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have appeasedperfect
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has appeasedperfect
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am appeasingprogressive
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are appeasingprogressive
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is appeasingprogressive
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have been appeasingperfect progressive
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has been appeasingperfect progressive
Past
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appeasedsimple
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had appeasedperfect
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was appeasingprogressive
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were appeasingprogressive
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had been appeasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appease
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English apesen, from Anglo-French apeser, Old French apais(i)er; equivalent to a- 5 + peace
Explanation
Appease means to make or preserve peace with a nation, group, or person by giving in to their demands, or to relieve a problem, as in "the cold drink appeased his thirst." Appease often implies abandoning your moral principles to satisfy the demands of someone who is greedy for power: think of British Prime Minister Chamberlain's attempt to appease the Nazis at Munich. The verb appease comes from the Old French apaisier, "to pacify, make peace, or be reconciled," from the phrase "a paisier," which combines a-, or "to," and pais, "peace," from the Latin pax.
Vocabulary lists containing appease
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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:
“All they want to do is to keep pushing the dates to appease people,” Ramirez said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Yet the retreats have done little to appease Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
STV and regulator Ofcom agreed a modified scheme but this did little to appease the Scottish government, unions, and critics including local business groups.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The update for HW3 customers may appease older customers, who were promised for years that their electric vehicles had the hardware needed for Full Self-Driving capabilities.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
“If you spill salt, you have to throw some over your left shoulder to appease the evil spirits. No big deal.”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
"Having a clear goal, something that you can actually realise, is something that we don't necessarily have in everyday life, and that appeases our brain," says Dr Christensen.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024
An awkward locution, but it appeases the sensitivity police.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2023
Those countries are going to have a tough time pulling off a plan that appeases Iran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2019
While encryption has been a hot topic for tech companies and law enforcement for some time, the Apple case represents a growing frustration with the inability to find a solution that appeases both sides.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 17, 2016
I look between them, hoping that my solution appeases both of them.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Beyond Meat appeased Nasdaq regulators this past week by finally filing its 2025 annual report, but there’s still another matter the onetime alternative-protein darling has to deal with to keep its stock from being delisted.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 12, 2026
Los Blancos were in charge but despite taking the lead, their fans were not appeased, and whistled the team in at the break.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
That hasn’t appeased protesters at demonstrations throughout Los Angeles County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
“It’s gotta be warm and almost womblike in a way that you feel very appeased as soon as you walk in, and then you bring your guard down,” says Bole, a native of France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
According to Ivan’s description, a domovoi was a ghostly entity that would destroy the home unless appeased with sacrifices, and could shape-shift into a wolf or rat if it wanted.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Finding the perfect position appeasing those on either side of an issue is exhausting work and prone to error.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
He also pledged a break from the Petro policy of appeasing criminal gangs, vowing to build mega prisons to get their recruits off the streets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
"This announcement appears to be about appeasing the markets and its shareholders while ignoring its workers," she said at the time.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2025
McDonald’s and Oracle are among the growing list of clients choosing to part ways with the appeasing firms.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2025
“Try to find some way of appeasing him,” he said, “instead of going home disgraced.”
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
