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.

Nearby words

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

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 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.

mollify

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mollify

Examples from the Web for mollify

mollify

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

Word Origin for mollify

mollify