Standard Lemma guide

propitiate

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌpɹəˈpɪʃieɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪʃieɪt

1

verb

Meaning 1

To conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone, particularly a god or spirit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: appease

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make propitious or favourable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To make propitiation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: atone

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

make peace with

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: appease

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reconcile, patch up, make up, conciliate, settle

History

Etymology

From Latin propitiāt-, the past participial stem of propitiāre (“make favourable”), from propitius (“favourable, gracious”).

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: умиротворявам (umirotvorjavam) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 安撫 /安抚 (ānfǔ) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 和解 (héjiě) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Dutch: gunstig stemmen — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Dutch: verzoenen — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Esperanto: satigi — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • French: apaiser — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • German: besänftigen — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Greek: εξευμενίζω (exevmenízo) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Greek: κατευνάζω (katevnázo) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Ancient Greek: ἱλάσκομαι (hiláskomai) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Latin: propitiō — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Māori: whakamārire — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Māori: whakawhere — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Māori: whakaturi — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Russian: умиротворя́ть (umirotvorjátʹ) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Russian: успока́ивать (uspokáivatʹ) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Serbo-Croatian: umilostiviti — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Swedish: blidka — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Ukrainian: вмилостивлювати (vmylostyvljuvaty) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone
  • Ukrainian: здобувати прихильність (zdobuvaty pryxylʹnistʹ) — to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone