Word: appease (verb)

Associations

To "appease" means to calm someone down or to satisfy their demands, often by making concessions or compromises.

• Example 1: The manager tried to appease the angry customers by offering them discounts. (Here, the manager is trying to calm the customers.)
• Example 2: The government made changes to the law to appease the protestors. (In this case, the changes are made to satisfy the protestors.)
• Example 3: She brought flowers to appease her friend after their argument. (Bringing flowers is an effort to make her friend feel better.)

A well-known synonym for "appease" is "pacify." The main difference is that "pacify" often implies soothing someone who is agitated, while "appease" can also involve making concessions to avoid conflict.

Substitution

Other words or phrases that could replace "appease" include:

• Satisfy (which tends to focus more on fulfilling needs without necessarily calming someone).
• Mollify (which also emphasizes calming someone down but suggests a gentler approach).
• Placate (which involves calming someone, particularly appeasing anger).

Deconstruction

The word "appease" comes from the Old French "apaisier," which means "to calm" or "to soothe." The prefix "a-" means "to" and "peace" reflects the idea of bringing peace or calm.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where someone might need to appease another person?
• Have you ever felt the need to appease someone in your life? What did you do?
• How do you think appeasing someone can change the outcome of a conflict?