appease

[uh-peez] /əˈpiz/

verb (used with object), appeased, appeasing.

to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe:

to appease an angry king.

to satisfy, allay, or relieve; assuage:

The fruit appeased his hunger.

to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of (a nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English apesen < Anglo-French apeser, Old French apais(i)er, equivalent to a- a-⁵ + paisi- peace + -er infinitive suffix

Related forms

appeasable, adjective

appeasableness, noun

appeasably, adverb

appeasement, noun

appeaser, noun

appeasingly, adverb

nonappeasable, adjective

nonappeasing, adjective

unappeasable, adjective

unappeasably, adverb

unappeased, adjective

unappeasing, adjective

unappeasingly, adverb

Synonyms

1. calm, placate. 3. Appease, conciliate, propitiate imply trying to preserve or obtain peace. To appease is to make anxious overtures and often undue concessions to satisfy the demands of someone with a greed for power, territory, etc.: Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler at Munich. To conciliate is to win an enemy or opponent over by displaying a willingness to be just and fair: When mutual grievances are recognized, conciliation is possible. To propitiate is to admit a fault, and, by trying to make amends, to allay hostile feeling: to propitiate an offended neighbor.

Antonyms

1. enrage. 2. increase, arouse, sharpen. 3. defy.

Examples from the web for appease

We've got a double-barrel blast of reviews to appease your gadget lust.
It is not clear whether the new appointments will appease the company's critics.
On this coast old stone monuments appease the spirits of dead whales.
In this eccentric tale, a grandfather changes his wish for youth in order to appease his grandson.
Quick let's say something to appease the masses.
Her acquisitive tendencies get out of hand, however, as her family goes to ridiculous lengths to appease her.
Some hotels that are under renovation are trying new tricks to appease guests.
The ruling family has taken some steps to appease the protesters.
That should appease them.
That makes them harder to identify, appease and control.

British Dictionary definitions for appease

appease

/əˈpiːz/

verb (transitive)

to calm, pacify, or soothe, esp by acceding to the demands of

to satisfy or quell (an appetite or thirst, etc)

Derived Forms

appeasable, adjective
appeaser, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Old French apaisier, from pais peace, from Latin pax

Word Origin and History for appease

c.1300 "to reconcile," from Anglo-French apeser, Old French apaisier "to pacify, make peace, appease, be reconciled, placate" (12c.), from the phrase a paisier "bring to peace," from a "to" (see ad-) + pais, from Latin pacem (nominative pax) "peace" (see peace). Related: Appeased; appeasing.