verb
-
to pacify; soothe
-
to lessen the harshness or severity of
Other Word Forms
- mollifiable adjective
- mollification noun
- mollifier noun
- mollifyingly adverb
- remollify verb (used with object)
- unmollifiable adjective
- unmollifying adjective
Etymology
Origin of mollify
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French mollifier, from Late Latin mollificāre, equivalent to Latin molli(s) “soft” + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To mollify is to calm someone down, soothe their anger or anxiety. A parent might mollify a crying baby with a pacifier. A store manager might offer a full refund to mollify an outraged customer. Mollify comes from the Latin mollificare, "to make soft," and that's still at the heart of the word. When you mollify someone, you smooth things over, even if you're maybe still a little mad: "I was angry that the guy took my seat, but I was mollified when he offered me one closer to the band." Unlike the sharp sounds of antagonize, there are only soft sounds in this word that means to make someone feel soft and cuddly. Although dryer sheets might soften your clothes, they don't mollify them (unless your clothes were really mad at you before).
Vocabulary lists containing mollify
Of Mice and Men
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Power Suffix: -fy
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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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.
The government tried to mollify protesters by introducing a monthly cash subsidy of 10 million rials per person—about $7, though it goes further in Iran—and vowing to crack down on price gougers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
X in June sought to mollify the EU by adding a disclaimer to the checkmark.
From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025
A cut is widely expected later this month – but is highly unlikely to be large enough to mollify the president.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025
The fact that it was supposed to be temporary did not mollify the people who disliked it, chief among them the short-story writer Guy de Maupassant.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025
“Yeah, but...I mean, for the Capitol, you’re pure,” he says, clearly trying to mollify me.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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.
