pacify

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˈpæsɪˌfaɪ/ UK /ˈpæsɪfaɪ/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to calm or soothe; to quell unrest or anger

She tried to pacify the crying toddler with a favorite toy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to calm or soothe; to quell... calm soothe appease placate mollify quell assuage

Opposites

provoke agitate incite inflame aggravate

Word family

Derived forms pacifierpacifiable

Related forms pacification pacific pacifism

Etymology

From Middle French pacifier, from Latin pacificare 'to make peace', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make'.

pacificare Latin pax Latin facere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives

# pacify

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈpæsɪˌfaɪ
**IPA (UK):** ˈpæsɪfaɪ

## Meanings
1. to calm or soothe; to quell unrest or anger

## Examples
- She tried to pacify the crying toddler with a favorite toy.

## Synonyms
- calm
- soothe
- appease
- placate
- mollify
- quell
- assuage

## Antonyms
- provoke
- agitate
- incite
- inflame
- aggravate

## Derived Forms
- pacifier
- pacifiable

## Related Forms
- pacification
- pacific
- pacifism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pacificare
- Root: pax
- Root: facere

## Etymology
From Middle French pacifier, from Latin pacificare 'to make peace', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make'.

## AI Etymology
Pacify comes from Middle French pacifier, from Latin pacificare 'to make peace', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make'. The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a verb, it means "to calm or soothe; to quell unrest or anger", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Latin pacificare, Latin pax, and Latin facere. Derivative forms include pacifier, pacifiable; related words include pacification, pacific, pacifism.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown

pacify

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback