mollify

[ mol-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈmɒl əˌfaɪ /

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.

Nearby words

mollendo, mollescent, mollet, mollie, mollier diagram, mollify, mollisol, mollities, mollusc, mollusca, molluscoid

Origin of mollify

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

Related forms

mol·li·fi·ca·tion, nounmol·li·fi·er, nounmol·li·fy·ing·ly, adverbmol·li·fi·a·ble, adjective

re·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for mollify

Meanwhile, on Friday, Holder made a round of calls to Capitol Hill in an attempt to mollify concerned lawmakers.
Holder’s Regrets and Repairs|Daniel Klaidman|May 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The appointments of Al-Sisi and Mekki are no doubt intended to mollify such concerns.
Is Morsy Staging or Reversing a Coup?|Hussein Ibish|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was actually soft as mush, straining to mollify Hispanics without roiling his own nativist base.
Immigration Could Sink Mitt Romney Regardless of Supreme Court Rulings|Robert Shrum|June 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Obama moved to mollify them, although how well it worked is unclear; both Dunn and Romer have since left the administration.
9 Juicy Bits from Ron Suskind’s Book|David A. Graham|September 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST

And perhaps most important, to deflect criticism and mollify opponents with politesse and wit.
GOP's New Foreign Affairs Chair Ready to Play Hardball|Sandra McElwaine|February 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The boys who bully him will mollify towards him, and accept his pie and sweetmeats.
The Christmas Books|William Makepeace Thackeray
The courteous manners of Hernan Cortes did more to mollify the ardour of the novice than could any degree of stateliness.
Calavar|Robert Montgomery Bird
Evidently the whiskey, though it was the best Glenlivat, had failed to mollify him.
Not Like Other Girls|Rosa N. Carey
This seemed to mollify Lub somewhat, though he hardly liked that reference to his having been paralyzed very much.
Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys|Silas K. Boone
T is for thee to carry the honey-bag to mollify the stings my naughty tongue must aye inflict.
Standish of Standish|Jane G. Austin

British Dictionary definitions for mollify

mollify

/ (ˈmɒlɪˌfaɪ) /

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

to pacify; soothe

to lessen the harshness or severity of

Derived Forms

mollifiable, 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