placating

6.8

Trying to calm someone by giving them what they want

adjective
/pləˈkeɪtɪŋ/

: apaciguador

His placating gestures showed that he was willing to listen to their concerns.

Examples

The manager used a placating tone to calm the upset customer.
She offered a placating smile to ease his frustration.
And they, it's almost like they're placating when they're, there's this sort of appearance of transparency.

Synonyms

conciliatory

vsplacating

20 7.7

Showing a wish to calm people and reduce tension

is more about pacifying by yielding to demands than mutual peacemaking

propitiatory

vsplacating

Formal

1 9.9

An action or gift to calm someone who is angry

is aimed at calming by yielding to demands rather than ritual appeasement

placative

vsplacating

8.5

Meant to calm someone by saying or doing things to please them

is the same meaning but expressed as a present participle form

placatory

vsplacating

8.0

Trying to calm someone by giving them what they want

is similar but describes calming in a general yielding way

appeasing

vsplacating

6.3

Calming someone by agreeing to what they want

emphasizes pacifying specifically through yielding rather than other methods

propitiative

vsplacating

Formal

9.9

Made to calm someone and gain their favor

focuses more narrowly on pacifying through yielding to demands

Antonyms

provocative

112 6.7

Causes a strong reaction, for example anger or lively talk

How Calming

appeasing

6.3

placating

6.8

conciliatory

20 7.7

soothing

81 2.9

calming

6 2.6

Surface Forms

placating positive

Morphology

placating = placate (transparent) = placate + ing

Formed regularly from the verb 'placate' with the participial/adjectival suffix '-ing', so the meaning follows directly from the base verb.

Etymology

The word placating comes from the Latin verb placare, which means 'to please' or 'to calm', and it shares the same idea as the English word please. So, to be placating is to try to 'please' or calm someone, often by giving in or doing kind things.