verb
-
to pacify; soothe
-
to lessen the harshness or severity of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
mollificationnoun
-
mollifiernoun
-
remollifyverb (used with object)
-
mollifiableadjective
-
unmollifiableadjective
-
unmollifyingadjective
-
mollifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mollifysimple
-
mollifiessimple
-
have mollifiedperfect
-
has mollifiedperfect
-
am mollifyingprogressive
-
are mollifyingprogressive
-
is mollifyingprogressive
-
have been mollifyingperfect progressive
-
has been mollifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
mollifiedsimple
-
had mollifiedperfect
-
was mollifyingprogressive
-
were mollifyingprogressive
-
had been mollifyingperfect progressive
Future
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Power Suffix: -fy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Official L.A., anxious to mollify angry and frightened Angelenos, dropped the hammer on a plant near downtown L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
They have every reason to mollify the Hollywood crowd to extract full value from their merged empire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
X in June sought to mollify the EU by adding a disclaimer to the checkmark.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Of any attempt to mollify Trump, he said "good luck with that".
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025
This seems to mollify them, and they all kiss me, set me on a chair in my bedroom, and, as usual, start talking nonstop without bothering to notice if.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
"It mollifies the entire course of postoperative pain."
From Time Magazine Archive
He mollifies a suspicious Senate subcommittee Did he or didn't he?
From Time Magazine Archive
This Plaister is efficacious in curing of all kinds of Wounds, Ulcers, Tumours, and Contusions; for it mollifies, digestes, and brings to Suppuration such Matter as ought to be carry'd off this way.
From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Charles Gabriel Le Clerc
It mollifies our inferiority to be able to add to our honest admiration of anyone's great intellectual merit, 'But did you ever see such a chin!'
From Res Judicat? Papers and Essays by Augustine Birrell
For moisture mollifies, and both giues leaue to the roots to spread, and makes the earth yeeld sap and nourishment with plenty & facility.
From A New Orchard And Garden or, The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich Orchard: Particularly in the North and generally for the whole kingdome of England by William Lawson
Some readers may be mollified by this—or amused by Mr. Pappalardo’s explanation that telling the tale of Borger required some shiftiness since “it’s just that kind of town.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
“Nvidia will likely exceed earnings expectations but the question is whether investors will be mollified or not,” she added.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
He ideally would like to bring Western nations along, yet they believe his hunger for peace outweighs his wish to ensure European leaders are mollified.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025
Neither move mollified Carter, who gave Bass until May to fix the broken system, vowing to become “your worst nightmare” should she fail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
Theodora’s friend, mollified and contrite, was delighted to see Theodora back so soon; Luke took himself off to Paris, where his aunt fervently hoped he would stay for a while.
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
This is evidently quite appealing, or mollifying, to many audiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
But if you can get on its wavelength, there’s a mollifying charm to Travolta’s debut.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
It’s a great character moment for Danvers, who has been more comfortable than Navarro in mollifying the powers-that-be.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
To get input on the selection of new president, Caruso introduced a strategy that had proved successful in mollifying neighbors about his mall projects: listening sessions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2022
“Someday soon, you find that fair one,” she said in mollifying tones.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
