verb
-
to pacify; soothe
-
to lessen the harshness or severity of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
mollificationnoun
-
mollifiernoun
-
remollifyverb (used with object)
-
mollifiableadjective
-
unmollifiableadjective
-
unmollifyingadjective
-
mollifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mollifysimple
-
mollifiessimple
-
have mollifiedperfect
-
has mollifiedperfect
-
am mollifyingprogressive
-
are mollifyingprogressive
-
is mollifyingprogressive
-
have been mollifyingperfect progressive
-
has been mollifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
mollifiedsimple
-
had mollifiedperfect
-
was mollifyingprogressive
-
were mollifyingprogressive
-
had been mollifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mollify
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French mollifier, from Late Latin mollificāre, equivalent to Latin molli(s) “soft” + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To mollify is to calm someone down, soothe their anger or anxiety. A parent might mollify a crying baby with a pacifier. A store manager might offer a full refund to mollify an outraged customer. Mollify comes from the Latin mollificare, "to make soft," and that's still at the heart of the word. When you mollify someone, you smooth things over, even if you're maybe still a little mad: "I was angry that the guy took my seat, but I was mollified when he offered me one closer to the band." Unlike the sharp sounds of antagonize, there are only soft sounds in this word that means to make someone feel soft and cuddly. Although dryer sheets might soften your clothes, they don't mollify them (unless your clothes were really mad at you before).
Vocabulary lists containing mollify
Of Mice and Men
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Power Suffix: -fy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Official L.A., anxious to mollify angry and frightened Angelenos, dropped the hammer on a plant near downtown L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Maybe someone down at the petrol station, to which William keeps sneaking to mollify his insatiable chocolate addiction and where local people do unspeakable things with the gas pumps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
X in June sought to mollify the EU by adding a disclaimer to the checkmark.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
The first of these groups includes Bannon and may be the trickiest to mollify.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
Truman tried to mollify his critics by instituting a new loyalty program for the federal government.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
He mollifies a suspicious Senate subcommittee Did he or didn't he?
From Time Magazine Archive
"It mollifies the entire course of postoperative pain."
From Time Magazine Archive
Umb, this mollifies; but y'are so fickle, and will again deny this, there being no witness by.
From The Works of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher Volume 2 of 10: Introduction to the Elder Brother by Fletcher, John
To have a man so simple and so honourable to represent us in the darkness of primeval history, binds all the intervening centuries together, and mollifies all their monstrosities.
From Varied Types by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
"Beauty in distress mollifies the court, does it?" inquired Richard, willing to be won from his own wretchedness by talk even with a man like this.
From Bred in the Bone by Payn, James
“Nvidia will likely exceed earnings expectations but the question is whether investors will be mollified or not,” she added.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Investors took fright that the deficit will spiral out of control and were mollified somewhat Friday morning when Britain’s Treasury leaked that rosier economic forecasts might leave her with a smaller budget gap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
He ideally would like to bring Western nations along, yet they believe his hunger for peace outweighs his wish to ensure European leaders are mollified.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025
Neither move mollified Carter, who gave Bass until May to fix the broken system, vowing to become “your worst nightmare” should she fail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
Actually, Dad had mollified my brother, if only a little.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
But if you can get on its wavelength, there’s a mollifying charm to Travolta’s debut.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
It’s a great character moment for Danvers, who has been more comfortable than Navarro in mollifying the powers-that-be.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
To get input on the selection of new president, Caruso introduced a strategy that had proved successful in mollifying neighbors about his mall projects: listening sessions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2022
Aside from mollifying Western observers, Khomeini was probably trying to reassure his liberal allies in the revolution against the shah, which included a vast number of active and vocal women.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2021
Chamberlin was startled to see that Holmes’s false warmth seemed to be mollifying the creditors.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.