PROPITIATE (Verb)

Meaning- to make (someone especially a superior person) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired.

Mnemonic trick- The word propitiate contains word ‘piti’. ’piti’ sounds similar to pity. If we want pity of someone superior, we have to propitiate him. Therefore, propitiate means to make (someone especially a superior person) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired.

Synonym- SOOTHE, ASSUAGE, MOLLIFY, PLACATE, APPEASE, PACIFY, CONCILIATE

Uses-

•          He made an offering to propitiate the angry gods.
•          When Jerome told Sara that he did n’ t agree with her political view, she responded to his comment by being very loud until he tried to propitiate her by saying that she certainly had a right to her opinion even if he did n’ t agree with her opinion.
•          The bureaucrat was excellent at propitiating government servants working under him.
•          They propitiated the dictator by accepting his demands in an effort to avoid war.