mollify
to soften anger or resentment
Roots
- fac / fic / fact: do or make
- moll / mollis: soft or able to soften
Other words with the fac / fic / fact root
- affectation: an artificial display meant to impress
- artificial: made by humans; not natural
- benefactor: person who gives help, money, or support
- beneficent: doing good or producing benefit
- beneficial: helpful or producing good effects
- certify: to confirm officially as true
- effect: a result or outcome
- efficacious: effective; producing the intended result
Other words with the moll / mollis root
- mollusk: soft-bodied animal often protected by a shell
Mollify means make soft: harsh feeling loses some of its edge.
The apology did not solve the problem, but it mollified the parents enough to continue the meeting.
Mollify is softening in a human room. Anger, fear, resentment, or resistance does not vanish; it becomes softer, less cutting, easier to approach.