mollify

/ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈɑləfˌaɪ] /ˈmɑːlɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈɑləfˌaɪ] /ˈmä-lə-ˌfī How to pronounce mollify (audio)/ (ame, mw)

mollify — verb

  • mollifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • mollifieshe / she / it
  • mollifiedpast simple
  • mollifying-ing form

1. to calm someone who is angry or hurt so they react less strongly

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to calm someone who is angry or hurt so they react less strongly

例句

Caio apologized at once to mollify the customer waiting at the service desk.

mollify + person after a complaint

The teacher let Zola sit by the window to mollify the child after the quarrel.

mollify + person after hurt feelings

同義詞
  • placate

    close in meaning, but often stresses stopping open anger or complaint

  • appease

    often suggests calming someone by giving them what they want

  • soothe

    gentler and broader, often used for pain, fear, or crying

反義詞
  • provoke

    to make anger or resentment rise

  • enrage

    to make someone extremely angry

文法句型

mollify + person/group

mollify + object with an apology or offer

用法筆記

This sense usually takes a person or group as the object. Common ways of mollifying someone include apologizing, explaining, or offering something after trouble.

常見錯誤

❌The apology mollified to the guests.
✅The apology mollified the guests.
💡'mollify' takes a direct object, not 'to'.

2. to make pain, criticism, or another unpleasant thing less severe or easier to ac

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to make pain, criticism, or another unpleasant thing less severe or easier to accept

例句

The bank cut interest fees to mollify public anger over the sudden rule change.

mollify + anger or criticism

Honey helped mollify the bitter taste of the cough syrup.

mollify + unpleasant taste

同義詞
  • ease

    common and direct, especially for pain or tension

  • temper

    more formal and often used for reducing force or intensity

  • moderate

    formal and often used for severity, not personal anger

反義詞
  • intensify

    to make a feeling or effect stronger

  • sharpen

    to make an unpleasant quality more severe or biting

文法句型

mollify + anger/criticism/pain

mollify + unpleasant quality

用法筆記

The object is usually an unpleasant reaction or quality, such as criticism, pain, bitterness, or tension, rather than a person. Distinguish it from sense 1, where you calm the person directly.

3. to make a hard or stiff material feel softer and bend more easily

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

to make a hard or stiff material feel softer and bend more easily

例句

Warm water will mollify the dried clay before you shape it again.

mollify a hard material with moisture

The cook simmered the tough beans to mollify them before adding salt.

同義詞
  • soften

    the most direct everyday word for this physical change

  • loosen

    suggests reducing stiffness or tightness rather than changing texture

  • relax

    can apply to fibres or materials becoming less rigid

反義詞

文法句型

mollify + clay/leather/wax

mollify + hard material before shaping

用法筆記

This sense is literal and physical. The object is a material such as clay, leather, wax, or dried food, not an emotion or criticism.