Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
placatingly

placatingly

1 8.0
To say or do something calmly to make someone less angry
  • adverb
  • /pləˈkeɪtɪŋli/
translation icon : apaciguadoramente
  • "I can't sit here and just let them drown or starve or sink into another dark age." "OK, OK." Humphries raised both hands placatingly.
  • said placatingly

Examples

  • He noted the slight pout of her lower lip and offered placatingly, "I daresay we can salvage the odd one."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Placatingly, she held up one hand.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • You could make your arrangements outside," she said placatingly.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • But the old man lifted one hand placatingly.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "We ought to string you up, damn you!" She smiled and spread her hands placatingly.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Forget everything I've said," said Sherrer and put his hand placatingly on my shoulder.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Realizing that the boy thought she was making a hostile motion at him, Miranda opened her hand and held it out placatingly.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "Back up a moment, Tiger Ty," Wren requested, holding out her hands placatingly.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "Not— not this time, Annie, I'm afraid," he said placatingly.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • She spoke to him placatingly, trying to ease his frustration after the argument.

Synonyms

soothingly
vsplacatingly
4 3.0

In a way that makes someone feel calm and safe

is specifically intended to calm or pacify someone who is angry or upset
consolingly
vsplacatingly
1 5.6

In a way that helps someone feel less sad

is aimed more at calming anger or pacifying conflict than offering comfort
appeasingly
vsplacatingly
6.7

In a calm way to make someone less angry or upset

is meant to calm or pacify without aiming to please
calmingly
vsplacatingly
3.7

In a gentle way that makes someone feel less afraid or worried

is aimed at soothing anger or pacifying upset, not just reducing anxiety

Antonyms

provocatively
8 6.8

In a way that tries to make people react strongly

How Pacifying

placatingly
1 8.0
soothingly
4 3.0
calmly
110 1.0

Surface Forms

placatingly positive

Morphology

placatingly = placating (transparent) = placate + ing + ly

Formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to 'placating' (placate -> placating -> placatingly), with a directly derivable meaning.

Etymology

Placatingly comes from the verb placate, which comes from the old Latin root placare meaning 'to please' or 'to calm'. Think of it as using gentle words, like the word placid, so to speak placatingly is to try to calm someone and make them less angry.