Mollify (/ˈmɑː.lɪ.faɪ/) is spelled with two "l"s and one "f". The first "l" is pronounced with a long "o" sound, while the second "l" has a short "i" sound. The "i" in the second syllable is pronounced like a long "e". The "f" at the end of the word is pronounced with a voiced "v" sound. The word means to make someone less angry or upset by calming or soothing them.
Mollify is a transitive verb that is commonly used to describe the act of easing or reducing someone's anger, anxiety, or distress. It involves the process of soothing or calming someone's emotions or grievances in order to make them feel more at ease or less hostile.
When someone attempts to mollify others, they are essentially trying to appease or pacify them by offering words, actions, or gestures that help to alleviate their negative feelings. This can be achieved by demonstrating empathy, understanding, or sympathy towards their concerns, and actively working towards finding a resolution or compromise. By mollifying someone, one aims to bring about a sense of comfort, satisfaction, or contentment in order to restore harmony in a tense or conflict-ridden situation.
Additionally, the term "mollify" can also refer to the action of softening or reducing the intensity, severity, or impact of something. In this context, it implies the process of lessening or mitigating the negative effects or consequences of a particular circumstance or condition. Through mollification, one seeks to make an undesirable situation more manageable, bearable, or tolerable.
Overall, to mollify is to employ strategies aimed at pacifying others' negative emotions or reducing the intensity of negative outcomes, with the goal of promoting greater understanding, harmony, or relief.
To calm; to pacify; to soften; to mitigate.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
The word "mollify" comes from the Latin verb "mollificare", which is a combination of "mollis" (meaning soft or gentle) and "facere" (meaning to make). The Latin root conveys the idea of making something soft or gentle, and over time, the word "mollify" in English came to mean to appease, pacify, or soothe someone's anger, anxiety, or distress.