Dictionary

appease en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /əˈpiːz/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English apesen, from Old French apeser (“to pacify, bring to peace”).

Meanings

1. To make quiet; to calm; to reduce (something) to a state of peace; to dispel (anger, hatred, etc.).
   • to appease the tumult of the ocean
   • 'First, a little refreshment to reward my exertions. You may as well be quiet. It is not the first time, or the second, that your veins have appeased my thirst!' 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:
2. To make conciliatory offerings or concessions to (someone) in an attempt to dispel their anger, aggression, etc.; to adapt to the demands of; to come to terms with.
   • It's been slowly hacked back, amid fears of escalating costs, by politicians who have also increased those costs by adding expensive structures such as tunnels to appease opponents. 2024 October 30, Philip Haigh, “Poor planning and lack of clarity damages rail projects”, in RAIL, number 1021, page 50:
   • Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has suggested climate change is “probably doing good” in a speech in London in which he likened policies to combat it to “primitive people once killing goats to appease the volcano gods” . 2017 October 9, Karl Mathiesen, quoting Tony Abbott, “Tony Abbott says climate change is 'probably doing good'”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • They appeased the angry gods with burnt offerings.

Forms

Antonyms

antagonize

Deriveds

unappeased · appeasement · appeasatory · appeaser · appeasive · appeasee · appeasingly · reappease · appeaseless · appeasable · appeasenik

Synonyms

quell · placate · calm · still · mollify · propitiate · pacify · quiet · lull

Translations (86)

bg умиротворя́вам (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · gl acalmar (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · fa آرام کردن (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · ga ceansaigh (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · be супако́йваць (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · be супако́іць (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · gl apouvigar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · de besänftigen (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · sv blidka (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ca amainar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fa مماشات کردن (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · bg умиротворя́ (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · gl apouvigar (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · it placare (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fr apaiser (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · cs utišit (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · grc παρηγορέω (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fi lepytellä (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · gl aplacar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk утихоми́рити (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru успока́ивать (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fa دلجویی کردن (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · sw afiki (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk умиротвори́ти (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · it pacificare (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · cs usmířit (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk задобри́ти (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · sv stilla (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · bg умиротворя́вам (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · km រំងាប់ (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · nl kalmeren (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · la pācificō (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · bg успокоя́вам (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru успоко́ить (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru умиротворя́ть (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · nah yolceuiz (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · bg умиротворя́ (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · no tilfredsstille (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · bg успокоя́ (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · de besänftigen (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · scn appaciari (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · tr sakinleştirmek (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru умиротвори́ть (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · hy խաղաղեցնել (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · es apaciguar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · eo trankviligi (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · cmn 安撫 /安抚 (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · sv lugna (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · es apaciguar (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · gl aplacar (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · uk умиротворя́ти (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · hu csillapít (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · da fredeliggøre, formilde, berolige (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · scn carmari (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · cs uklidnit (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · no berolige, pasifisere, stagge (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · sv mildra (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · scn appaciari (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · fi myöntyä (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · cs usmířit si (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · pt apaziguar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · de beschwichtigen (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · cs uchlácholit (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru умиротвори́ть (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · grc ἱλάσκομαι (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · hy մեղմել (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · gl acalmar (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk умиротворя́ти (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · uk утихоми́рювати (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · de friedlich stimmen (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · eo kvietigi (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk умиротвори́ти (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · fa آرام کردن (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fr apaiser (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · it calmare (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · sv släcka (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ru умиротворя́ть (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · ro astâmpăra (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · hy հանդարտեցնել (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · mi whakamauru (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fi tyynnyttää (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fi lepyttää (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · he פִּיֵּס (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · uk задо́брювати (to make conciliatory offerings or concessions to in an attempt to dispel anger, aggression; to adapt to the demands of) · fi rauhoittaa (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify) · fi hiljentää (to make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify)