placate
/plə'keit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cause someone to become less angry, hostile, or upset; to appease or pacify: The action of calming someone down, often by making concessions or using soothing words, thereby gaining their goodwill.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- The manager tried to placate the upset customer by offering a full refund.
- He brought her flowers to placate her after their argument.
- The government's new policy was designed to placate the protestors.
Advanced Usage
- "to placate someone's fears/concerns": to take action to calm someone's specific worries.
- The CEO held a town hall to placate employees' concerns about job security.
- Often used in contexts involving conflict resolution, diplomacy, customer service, or personal relationships where calming an aggrieved party is necessary.
Variants and Related Words
- Placatory (adj): intended to make someone less angry or hostile; appeasing.
- He adopted a placatory tone during the negotiations.
- Placation (n): the act of placating; appeasement.
- The placation of the rival factions proved difficult.
Synonyms
- Appease: to bring to a state of peace or quiet.
- Mollify: to soothe in temper or disposition.
- Pacify: to restore to a tranquil state.
- Conciliate: to overcome the distrust or hostility of.
Antonyms
- Anger: to make angry.
- Provoke: to incite to anger or resentment.
- Antagonize: to incur or provoke the hostility of.
Related Phrases
- "in a (bid/attempt) to placate": describing an action taken with the specific goal of appeasing.
- The company issued an apology in a bid to placate public outrage.
- While "placate" itself is not typically used in phrasal verbs, its meaning is central to phrases involving conflict de-escalation.
Verb
- cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
- She managed to mollify the angry customer