Definition

Noun: A person who seeks to avoid conflict or secure peace by making concessions or giving in to the demands of an aggressor, often at the expense of principles or long-term security.

Usage and Examples

• An appeaser often believes that compromise will satisfy an opponent's ambitions.
  • The prime minister was criticized as an appeaser for signing the treaty that surrendered the territory.
• The term carries a strong negative connotation, implying weakness and short-sightedness.
  • History has judged the diplomats of that era not as peacemakers but as appeasers.
• It is frequently used in political and historical contexts.
  • The senator accused his rival of being an appeaser who would weaken the nation's defenses.

Advanced Usage and Nuance

• The word is powerfully associated with the failed policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany prior to World War II. Using it evokes this historical analogy to criticize current policies perceived as weak.
• The famous quote by Winston Churchill, "" perfectly encapsulates the critical view that appeasement only delays, rather than prevents, aggression.

Variants and Related Words

• Appease (verb): To pacify or placate by acceding to demands.
  • They tried to appease the critic with minor changes.
• Appeasement (noun): The policy or action of appeasing.
  • The policy of appeasement failed to prevent war.

Synonyms

• Conciliator (less negative, focuses on reconciling differences)
• Pacifier (neutral, one who calms a situation)
• Accommodator (neutral, one who adapts to others)

Antonyms

• Hardliner
• Confrontationalist
• Hawk (in political contexts)

Noun

1. someone who tries to bring peace by acceding to demands
   • An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile--hoping it will eat him last--Winston Churchill