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mollify

Transitive Verb

past: mollifiedpp: mollifieding: mollifying

This term describes the act of smoothing over a conflict or reducing the sharpness of a situation. It carries a connotation of strategic soothing, often implying that the person being mollified is in a state of agitation, anger, or distress, and that the speaker is using specific concessions to restore peace. In a technical or physical sense, it refers to the process of making a substance softer or less rigid. This usage is less common in everyday speech than the emotional sense but remains critical in chemical or material contexts to describe the reduction of hardness.

Meanings

Transitive Verb

[~ someone]

To appease the anger or anxiety of someone by providing consolation or making concessions.

"The manager tried to mollify the angry customer by offering a full refund and a discount voucher."

Transitive Verb

[~ something]

To reduce the intensity, severity, or hardness of something.

"The addition of a softening agent was used to mollify the chemical compound during the reaction."

Last Updated: June 14, 2026•Report an Error