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propitiate

[ pruh-pish-ee-eyt ]
/ prəˈpɪʃ iˌeɪt /
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verb (used with object), pro·pi·ti·at·ed, pro·pi·ti·at·ing.
to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.
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Origin of propitiate

1635–45; <Latin propitiātus, past participle of propitiāre to appease. See propitious, -ate1

synonym study for propitiate

See appease.

OTHER WORDS FROM propitiate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT PROPITIATE

What does propitiate mean?

Propitiate means to gain the favor of or make things right with someone, especially after having done something wrong.

The noun form of propitiate is propitiation. Close synonyms of propitiate are conciliate and appease. Propitiate is commonly used in a religious context. It’s especially used in Christianity to refer to the act of propitiation that Christians believe Jesus made to atone for sin—or to the atonement that Christians believe they should make to God.

Example: To gain redemption, we must do our best to propitiate—to earn the favor we have lost.

Where does propitiate come from?

The first records of propitiate come from the 1500s. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb propitiāre, meaning “to appease,” from the Latin propitius, “gracious.”

Propitiate is commonly used in situations in which a person has done something wrong and wants to regain someone’s favor. It’s more than offering an apology. It may involve an apology, but propitiating typically involves doing something to earn forgiveness or redemption. For example, to propitiate a neighbor for breaking their window, a child might offer to mow the neighbor’s lawn for three months. But the word isn’t often applied so informally. Most commonly, it’s used in a religious way. The noun form propitiation is especially used in reference to Jesus. Another sense of propitiation refers not to the act of atonement but to the thing that atones, and the word appears in some translations of the Bible to refer to Jesus as a living propitiation for sin.

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What are some other forms related to propitiate?

  • propitiation (noun)
  • propitiable (adjective)
  • propitiatingly (adverb)
  • propitiative (adjective)
  • propitiator (noun)
  • propitiatious (adjective)

What are some synonyms for propitiate?

What are some words that share a root or word element with propitiate

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing propitiate?

How is propitiate used in real life?

Propitiate is typically used formally and most often in a religious context.

 

 

Try using propitiate!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of propitiate?

A. conciliate
B. forgive
C. appease
D. atone

How to use propitiate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propitiate

propitiate
/ (prəˈpɪʃɪˌeɪt) /

verb
(tr) to appease or make well disposed; conciliate

Derived forms of propitiate

Word Origin for propitiate

C17: from Latin propitiāre to appease, from propitius gracious
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
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