pacify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to calm the anger or agitation of; mollify
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to restore to peace or order, esp by the threat or use of force
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonpacifiableadjective
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pacifiableadjective
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unpacifiableadjective
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unpacifiedadjective
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pacifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pacifysimple
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pacifiessimple
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have pacifiedperfect
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has pacifiedperfect
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am pacifyingprogressive
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are pacifyingprogressive
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is pacifyingprogressive
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have been pacifyingperfect progressive
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has been pacifyingperfect progressive
Past
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pacifiedsimple
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had pacifiedperfect
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was pacifyingprogressive
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were pacifyingprogressive
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had been pacifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pacify
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Old French pacef(i)ier, pacifier, from Latin pācificāre “to make peace”; see pacific, -fy
Explanation
If you are bringing peace or calm to a state of unrest, you are pacifying the situation. Just think of the transformation a squalling baby undergoes when a pacifier is placed within his mouth, and you will remember the power of the verb to pacify. If you work to establish peace in a certain location between factions at war, then you are working to pacify a country or region. The U.N. has specially trained workers, called peace keepers, who go into to trouble spots to try to pacify rebellions factions and restore order. Or, one can pacify a disgruntled crowd: "The store manager attempted to pacify the restless crowd of shoppers by promising the popular out-of-stock item would soon be back on the shelves."
Vocabulary lists containing pacify
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Power Suffix: -fy
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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 population are demanding that our team extend and go to other places and pacify," he says.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2024
We are easier to marginalize and to pacify if we fold ourselves into such tiny boxes.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2024
A Kenyan court blocked a U.N.-backed plan to deploy the country’s officers to help pacify violence on Haiti’s streets.
From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2024
The celebration lasted for half an hour before they realized this was just a piece of wishful thinking someone had spread around to pacify them.
From Slate • Nov. 29, 2023
“Shall I tell her, sir? She’s been demanding to see someone in authority for a long time. The conductor’s been trying to pacify her.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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.
