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Glite Dictionary
placatory

placatory

8.0
Trying to calm someone by giving them what they want
  • adjective
  • /ˈpleɪkəˌtɔri/
translation icon : apaciguador
  • The manager used a placatory tone to address the employee's concerns.
  • placatory voice

Examples

  • As always, he was quiet and generally placatory.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "Verona spoke in a placatory voice.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "What is your next proposal?" "I don't know, sir," Verona spoke in a placatory voice.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "For Liz Garfield, this was downright placatory, and Bobby was satisfied.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The nurse guided me out of the treatment room to a bench and returned to rebuke the doctor in her placatory nurse voice, to which Berg replied fortissimo: "I don't give a damn if they do!"

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Some Paliyans also take occasional one-day jobs with the forestry department to conduct placatory rituals to the sandalwood goddess and to help in other ways in the extraction of sandalwood and two other precious woods.

    Academic text (1993)

  • She gave a placatory nod, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

  • His placatory remarks helped calm the angry customer.

Synonyms

conciliatory
vsplacatory
20 7.7

Showing a wish to calm people and reduce tension

tends to pacify specifically by giving in or making concessions
propitiatory
vsplacatory
  • Formal
1 9.9

An action or gift to calm someone who is angry

is focused on pacifying people by concessions, not religious ritual
placative
vsplacatory
8.5

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

is meant to pacify especially by acceding to demands
placating
vsplacatory
6.8

Trying to calm someone by giving them what they want

focuses on pacifying often through concessions or compliance
appeasing
vsplacatory
6.3

Calming someone by agreeing to what they want

aims to pacify by agreeing to demands or making concessions
concessional
vsplacatory
6.8

Willing to accept some changes to reach an agreement

expresses pacifying intent often by actually yielding to demands
propitiative
vsplacatory
  • Formal
9.9

Made to calm someone and gain their favor

is about pacifying by yielding rather than seeking favor

Antonyms

provoking
1 4.8

Causing annoyance or anger in someone

How Pacifying

appeasing
6.3
placatory
8.0
conciliatory
20 7.7
calming
6 2.6
ingratiating
1 7.3

Surface Forms

placatory positive

Morphology

placatory = placate (transparent) = placate + ory

The adjective is directly formed from the verb 'placate' with the suffix '-ory', yielding 'intended to placate', so the meaning follows standard derivational logic.

Etymology

Placatory comes from the Latin root placare and the part plac-, which means 'to please' or 'to calm', as in please and placate. So, a placatory action is meant to 'calm' or 'appease' someone.