Meaning & use
propitiatory
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformalliterary
Meant to calm someone's anger or win their goodwill, often with a gift or kind gesture.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a propitiatory gift.
Patterns
- a propitiatory gesture
- a propitiatory offering to someone
She brought a propitiatory plate of cookies to the angry neighbor.
The villagers left propitiatory offerings of fruit at the shrine.
His propitiatory smile did little to soften the manager.
Common combinations
- a propitiatory gesture
- Offering to pay for the damage was a propitiatory gesture.
- propitiatory offering
- They made a propitiatory offering to the river spirit.
- propitiatory gift
- The envoy arrived with a propitiatory gift for the king.
- propitiatory sacrifice
- The ancient text describes a propitiatory sacrifice before the voyage.
- propitiatory tone
- He spoke in a propitiatory tone, hoping to avoid a fight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conciliatory
- Conciliatory describes an attempt to make peace or reduce conflict, while propitiatory suggests calming a more powerful or angry party.
- appeasing
- Appeasing is more common and can sound weak or negative, whereas propitiatory is more formal and often religious.
- placating
- Placating is about soothing someone's feelings and is an everyday word.
- peacemaking
- Peacemaking describes helping to end a conflict between others, not just pleasing one side.
Opposites
Word family
- propitiate verb
- to calm or win over someone you have offended
- propitiation noun
- the act of calming or appeasing
- propitious adjective
- favorable or giving a good sign
- unpropitiated adjective
- not appeased
Commonly confused: propitiatory or propitious? propitiatory or appropriate?
propitiatory vs propitious
Propitious means favorable, as in propitious weather; propitiatory describes an act meant to appease.
propitiatory vs appropriate
Appropriate means suitable, and sounds similar but is unrelated.
Practice
Which item is best described as a propitiatory gift?
Choose one answer.
Propitiatory means meant to calm anger, so the gift for an angry client fits. A thank-you or a prize is not meant to soothe anyone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “propitiatory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.