Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

placate en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /pleɪˈkeɪt/ (Canada, US)
  • /pleɪˈkeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California) audio
  • /ˈpleɪkeɪt/ (Canada, US)
  • /pləˈkeɪt/ (Australia)
  • /pləˈkeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

First attested in the late 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin plācātus, perfect passive participle of plācō (“appease, placate”, literally “smooth, smoothen”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more), ultimately thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *plāk- (“smooth, flat”), from *pele- (“broad, flat, plain”). Related to Latin placeō (“appease”), Old English flōh (“flat stone, chip”). More at please.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete, rare) Placid, peaceful.
    • When are you more placate and serene? 1662, William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most placate Degree=Sup lexicographic
more placate Degree=Cmp lexicographic

placate en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /pleɪˈkeɪt/ (Canada, US)
  • /pleɪˈkeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California) audio
  • /ˈpleɪkeɪt/ (Canada, US)
  • /pləˈkeɪt/ (Australia)
  • /pləˈkeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

First attested in the late 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin plācātus, perfect passive participle of plācō (“appease, placate”, literally “smooth, smoothen”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more), ultimately thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *plāk- (“smooth, flat”), from *pele- (“broad, flat, plain”). Related to Latin placeō (“appease”), Old English flōh (“flat stone, chip”). More at please.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To calm; to bring peace to; to influence someone who was furious to the point that they become content or at least no longer irate.
    • Her [Bari Weiss's] critics — including the “60 Minutes” correspondent who reported the segment, Sharyn Alfonsi — saw it as an attempt by CBS to placate the administration. 2025 December 23, Michael M. Grynbaum, “‘60 Minutes’ Report Was Pulled Off the Air. Now It’s on the Internet.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
    • Here he again approached Teeka only to be again greeted with bared fangs and menacing growls. He sought to placate her; he urged his friendly intentions, and craned his neck to have a look at Teeka’s balu; but the she-ape was not to be persuaded that he meant other than harm to her little one. 1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 3, in Jungle Tales of Tarzan, A. C. McClurg:
    • The gleam of the light on the paper placated his professional anger, and he wrote rapidly, the final dash of his signature curling the paper up in a triangular tear. 1896, Joseph Conrad, An Outcast of the Islands, London: T. Fisher Unwin […], →OCLC:
    • They turned their shoulders to her most savage slashes, and with wagging tails and mincing steps strove to placate her wrath. 1906 May–October, Jack London, White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC:
    • For the rest of the term he tormented Philip cruelly, and, though Philip tried to keep out of his way, the school was so small that it was impossible; he tried being friendly and jolly with him; he abased himself, so far as to buy him a knife; but though Singer took the knife he was not placated. 1915, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC:
    • To-day a deity who should require bleeding sacrifices to placate him would be too sanguinary to be taken seriously. 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
placated Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
placated Tense=Past lexicographic
placating Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
placates Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Antonyms

enrage

Deriveds

placatable · placating · placatingly · placation · unplacatedn · placatory · placative · placater

Relateds

placable · implacable · placid

Synonyms

appease · satisfy · mollify · soothe · pacify · assuage · propitiate · conciliate

Translations (49)

nl kalmeren (to calm) · nl bedaren (to calm) · de beschwichtigen (to calm) · ru успока́ивать (to calm) · fr calmer (to calm) · vi xoa dịu (to calm) · sh смирити (to calm) · is sefa (to calm) · fi lepyttää (to calm) · th ปลอบใจ (to calm) · de begütigen (to calm) · cs uklidnit (to calm) · de besänftigen (to calm) · ar هَدَّأَ (to calm) · hu kiengesztel (to calm) · cs utišit (to calm) · ru унимать (to calm) · fr apaiser (to calm) · ru утихомиривать (to calm) · cmn 安撫 /安抚 (to calm) · mi whakamauru (to calm) · sh umiriti (to calm) · fi rauhoittaa (to calm) · hy հանգստացնել (to calm) · got 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌰𐍆𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to calm) · nl paaien (to calm) · el κατευνάζω (to calm) · is róa (to calm) · bg успокоявам (to calm) · sv blidka (to calm) · cs zklidnit (to calm) · sh умирити (to calm) · he הרגיע (to calm) · km កំសាន្ត (to calm) · bg омиротворявам (to calm) · is fróa (to calm) · de beruhigen (to calm) · ru умиротворя́ть (to calm) · it placare (to calm) · cmn 平息 (to calm) · nl sussen (to calm) · es aplacar (to calm) · sh smiriti (to calm) · mi whakamārie (to calm) · th ปลอบโยน (to calm) · ar اِسْتَرْضَى (to calm) · la pācificō (to calm) · ja なだめる (to calm) · pt aplacar (to calm)