appease - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English apesen, from Old French apeser (“to pacify, bring to peace”).

appease (third-person singular simple present appeases, present participle appeasing, simple past and past participle appeased)

  1. To make quiet; to calm; to reduce (something) to a state of peace; to dispel (anger, hatred, etc.).
    Synonyms: calm, pacify, quell, quiet, still, lull
    to appease the tumult of the ocean
  2. To make conciliatory offerings or concessions to (someone) in an attempt to dispel their anger, aggression, etc.; to adapt to the demands of; to come to terms with.
    Synonyms: mollify, placate, propitiate
    They appeased the angry gods with burnt offerings.
    • 2017 October 9, Karl Mathiesen, quoting Tony Abbott, “Tony Abbott says climate change is 'probably doing good'”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has suggested climate change is “probably doing good” in a speech in London in which he likened policies to combat it to “primitive people once killing goats to appease the volcano gods” .
    • 2024 October 30, Philip Haigh, “Poor planning and lack of clarity damages rail projects”, in RAIL, number 1021, page 50:
      It's been slowly hacked back, amid fears of escalating costs, by politicians who have also increased those costs by adding expensive structures such as tunnels to appease opponents.

to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify — see also calm,‎ pacify

to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of — see also mollify,‎ pacify,‎ placate,‎ propitiate,‎ satisfy