mollify

[mol-uh-fahy]

See more synonyms for mollify on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mol·li·fied, mol·li·fy·ing.

to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease.
to mitigate or reduce; soften: to mollify one's demands.

Origin of mollify

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French mollifier < Late Latin mollificāre, equivalent to Latin molli(s) soft + -ficāre -fy

Related formsmol·li·fi·ca·tion, nounmol·li·fi·er, nounmol·li·fy·ing·ly, adverbmol·li·fi·a·ble, adjectivere·mol·li·fy, verb (used with object), re·mol·li·fied, re·mol·li·fy·ing.un·mol·li·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·mol·li·fied, adjectiveun·mol·li·fy·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for mollified

mitigate, placate, appease, assuage, relieve, lessen, quell, lull, alleviate, pacify, ameliorate, allay, blunt, temper, lighten, compose, moderate, conciliate, ease, dulcify

Examples from the Web for mollified

Historical Examples of mollified

Nor was he to be mollified until the following day brought him his revenge.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
"It may be anything," uttered Jorgenson, morosely, but as it were in a mollified tone.
The Rescue
Joseph Conrad
"I see that you are a feather-headed kitten," said Elinor, not at all mollified.
Miss Pat at School
Pemberton Ginther
He was mollified, too, by the defiance of menials and quick submission to himself.
Danger! and Other Stories
Arthur Conan Doyle
And the Major was mollified at once, the two (as I said) being old friends.
Two Sides of the Face
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for mollified

mollify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to pacify; soothe
to lessen the harshness or severity of

Derived Formsmollifiable, adjectivemollification, nounmollifier, noun

Word Origin for mollify

C15: from Old French mollifier, via Late Latin, from Latin mollis soft + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mollified

adj.

1620s, past participle adjective from mollify.

mollify

late 14c., "to soften (a substance)," from Old French mollifier or directly from Late Latin mollificare "make soft, mollify" from mollificus "softening," from Latin mollis "soft" (see melt (v.)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Transferred sense of "soften in temper, appease, pacify" is recorded from early 15c. Related: Mollified; mollifying.