Meaning & use
mollification
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Meaning
noununcountableformal
The act of calming someone who is angry or upset, or the state of being calmed.
Grammar: Uncountable: seek the mollification of someone.
Patterns
- the mollification of someone
- for the mollification of someone
The manager offered a refund for the mollification of the angry customer.
His apology was meant as mollification, not an admission of guilt.
A small gift brought a quick mollification of her annoyance.
Common combinations
- quick mollification
- Quick mollification kept the meeting calm.
- seek mollification
- She sought mollification after the heated debate.
- offer mollification
- The firm offered mollification with a discount.
- attempt at mollification
- His attempt at mollification only irritated her further.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appeasement
- Appeasement suggests giving in to demands to avoid conflict, often in politics.
- placation
- Placation is nearly identical, but it feels slightly more about winning someone's goodwill.
- pacification
- Pacification covers bringing peace to groups or regions, not just one annoyed person.
- soothing
- Soothing is warmer and more everyday, and it can be physical as well as emotional.
Opposites
Word family
- mollify verb
- to calm someone's anger
- mollified adjective
- made less angry
- mollifying adjective
- tending to calm anger
- emollient noun
- a soothing substance, or a soothing remark
Commonly confused: mollification or mortification?
mollification vs mortification
Mortification means deep embarrassment or shame, and it is the opposite of a calming feeling.
Practice
The company sent flowers as a gesture of ___ to the upset client.
Choose one answer.
Mollification means calming someone's anger. Mortification means shame, which is a tempting similar-sounding wrong answer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mollification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.