appease

[ uh-peez ]
See synonyms for: appeaseappeasedappeasesappeasing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ap·peased, ap·peas·ing.
  1. to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe: to appease an angry king.

  2. to satisfy, allay, or relieve; assuage: The fruit appeased his hunger.

  1. to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of (a nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles.

Origin of appease

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English apesen, from Anglo-French apeser, Old French apais(i)er; equivalent to a-5 + peace

synonym study For appease

3. Appease, conciliate, propitiate imply trying to preserve or obtain peace. To appease is to make anxious overtures and often undue concessions to satisfy the demands of someone with a greed for power, territory, etc.: Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler at Munich. To conciliate is to win an enemy or opponent over by displaying a willingness to be just and fair: When mutual grievances are recognized, conciliation is possible. To propitiate is to admit a fault, and, by trying to make amends, to allay hostile feeling: to propitiate an offended neighbor.

Other words for appease

Opposites for appease

Other words from appease

  • ap·peas·a·ble, adjective
  • ap·peas·a·ble·ness, noun
  • ap·peas·a·bly, adverb
  • ap·pease·ment, noun
  • ap·peas·er, noun
  • ap·peas·ing·ly, adverb
  • non·ap·peas·a·ble, adjective
  • non·ap·peas·ing, adjective
  • un·ap·peas·a·ble, adjective
  • un·ap·peas·a·bly, adverb
  • un·ap·peased, adjective
  • un·ap·peas·ing, adjective
  • un·ap·peas·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby appease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use appease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for appease

appease

/ (əˈpiːz) /


verb(tr)
  1. to calm, pacify, or soothe, esp by acceding to the demands of

  2. to satisfy or quell (an appetite or thirst, etc)

Origin of appease

1
C16: from Old French apaisier, from pais peace, from Latin pax

Derived forms of appease

  • appeasable, adjective
  • appeaser, noun

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