placate
PLAY-kayt
/pləˈkeɪt/
To make someone less angry or hostile, especially by making concessions.
Focuses specifically on the emotional state of the other person—turning their anger into calmness.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Latin 'placare', which is related to 'placere' (to please). It suggests that by pleasing someone, you quiet their rage.
Word relationships
- mollify: Mollify emphasizes softening the person's temper, while placate is a more general term for soothing hostility.
- enrage: Enrage means to make someone extremely angry, the opposite of calming them.
Commonly confused with
- implacable: Implacable is the adjective form meaning someone who cannot be placated.
Word family
- placation (noun): The act of placating.
Collocations
- placate an opponent
- placate the critics
- efforts to placate
Example sentences
- "The manager tried to placate the angry customer by offering a full refund and a voucher for a future visit." A customer service scenario.
Memory hook
If you 'placate' someone, you put them in a 'placid' (calm) state. Placate makes them placid.
When not to use
Do not use this for physical pain or abstract fears; use it for people who are actively upset with you.
Fun facts
- The word 'placid' (meaning calm) comes from the same Latin root.
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