appeasement
/ə'pi:zmənt/
Definition
Noun: 1. The act of making someone less angry or hostile by giving in to their demands: This is the primary meaning, describing a policy or action of pacifying an aggressor or dissatisfied party through concessions. 2. The state of being appeased; pacification: The result of such an action, leading to calm or the temporary avoidance of conflict.
Usage
- Appeasement is most commonly used in political and historical contexts to describe a strategy of avoiding war by accepting some of the demands of a hostile power. It often carries a negative connotation, implying short-sightedness or weakness.
- It can also be used in more general interpersonal or diplomatic situations where one party yields to another to maintain peace.
Examples
- Historical/Political Context:
- The policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany in the 1930s failed to prevent World War II.
- Critics accused the government of appeasement for agreeing to the trade terms.
- General Context:
- Giving the child a cookie was a simple act of appeasement to stop the tantrum.
- The manager's appeasement of the angry customer involved a full refund.
Advanced Usage
- "Policy of appeasement": A formal strategy of making concessions to an adversary.
- Historians debate the effectiveness of the policy of appeasement.
- "Appeasement strategy": A tactical approach focused on conciliation.
- Their appeasement strategy only emboldened the opposition.
Variants and Related Words
- Appease (verb): To pacify or placate by acceding to demands.
- They tried to appease the protesters with promises of reform.
- Appeaser (noun): A person who advocates or practices appeasement.
- He was labeled an appeaser for his diplomatic approach.
Synonyms
- Placation: The act of pacifying or making someone less angry.
- Conciliation: The action of stopping someone from being angry or discontented.
- Propitation: The action of appeasing a god, spirit, or person.
- Pacification: The action of bringing peace to an area or ending war.
Antonyms
- Provocation: Action or speech that makes someone angry, especially deliberately.
- Confrontation: A hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties.
- Resistance: The refusal to accept or comply with something.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- To feed the crocodile, hoping it will eat you last: An idiom describing the futile and dangerous logic of appeasement.
- His concessions were like feeding the crocodile; it only made the demands greater.
Noun
-
the act of appeasing (as by acceding to the demands of)
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