Mollifying
Mollifying describes the act of soothing someone's anger or anxiety; calming them down, appeasing their feelings, or reducing their distress. It involves making something less severe, intense, or objectionable, often through conciliatory actions, words, or gestures. The goal is to pacify, soften, or placate a person or situation, aiming to restore a sense of calm, comfort, and often, to prevent conflict or further escalation. This could also mean the act of making a situation or feeling less intense.
Mollifying meaning with examples
- The diplomat employed mollifying language, offering apologies and compromises to ease tensions between the two nations after a border skirmish. The goal was to prevent a larger conflict. This calmed everyone involved and allowed for negotiations.
- After the customer's angry complaint, the store manager offered a refund and a sincere apology, taking actions to mollify the customer's frustration. The customer slowly calmed down as the situation was being dealt with properly.
- The counselor used techniques like deep breathing and empathetic listening to help mollify the patient's panic attack, allowing her to regain control and feel safe and at ease. The patient felt relieved as the breathing techniques helped.
- To mollify the concerns of the residents, the developers promised to build a park and improve infrastructure, in order to reduce the complaints about the new construction. Everyone then could understand what was planned.
- The teacher, realizing the student was upset about a low grade, explained the grading rubric carefully and offered extra credit, hoping to mollify the child's disappointment and prevent discouragement.