How to Memorize

mollify - calm

Analysis

To ‘mollify’ means to do or say something to make somebody feel better or to make something less harsh or serious. It comes from the Latin word meaning ‘to soften’ and therefore implies soothing and easing. While it is mostly used in a positive context, there are occasions where mollifying can be seen as an act of weakness.

Example(s)

1. Staff have been quite disgruntled in recent months over pay issues, so I tried to mollify them with a generous end-of-year bonus.

2. In the cut-throat world of investment banking, David says that there is no time or place for mollification. It’s survival of the fittest.

3. I’ve got to give credit to Jane. She used her tact and diplomacy to mollify the irate customer and resolve the dispute amicably.