appease
/ə'pi:z/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To bring peace, quiet, or calm to a situation or person; to pacify: The core meaning involves calming someone who is angry or upset, or settling a conflict.
- To satisfy, relieve, or fulfill (a demand, desire, or feeling): This meaning focuses on meeting a need or requirement, often to prevent trouble.
- To yield or concede to demands, sometimes excessively, in order to avoid conflict: This usage often carries a negative connotation of making unprincipled concessions.
Usage and Examples
To calm an angry person or group:
- The manager tried to appease the frustrated customers by offering refunds.
- Nothing he said could appease her fury after the betrayal.
To satisfy a need or desire:
- He ate a snack to appease his hunger until dinner.
- The policy was designed to appease public demand for stricter regulations.
To make political concessions to avoid conflict (often negative):
- Historians argue that the attempt to appease the aggressive regime only delayed the inevitable war.
- The government was accused of appeasing the rebels instead of upholding the law.
Advanced Usage and Nuance
- The term is often used in historical and political contexts to describe the failed policy of making concessions to Adolf Hitler prior to World War II, giving the word a strong negative connotation in such discussions.
- "Appeasement" (noun): The action or policy of appeasing.
- The prime minister was criticized for his policy of appeasement.
Variants and Related Words
- Appeasement (n): The act of appeasing.
- Appeaser (n): A person who appeases, especially in a political context.
- He was labeled an appeaser for his conciliatory stance.
Synonyms
- Pacify: To bring peace to; to calm.
- Mollify: To soothe the anger or anxiety of someone.
- Placate: To make someone less angry or hostile.
- Conciliate: To stop someone from being angry or discontented.
- Propitiate: To win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them (more formal/religious).
Antonyms
- Provoke: To stimulate or incite (someone) to feel or do something, especially anger or violence.
- Antagonize: To cause someone to become hostile.
- Aggravate: To make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious.
Idioms and Common Phrases
- Policy of appeasement: A diplomatic strategy of making political or material concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict. This phrase is heavily associated with the pre-WWII era.
- The policy of appeasement in the 1930s is now seen as a grave mistake.
Verb
- make peace with
- overcome or allay
- quell my hunger
- cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
- She managed to mollify the angry customer