Translation guide
The act of calming, subduing, or bringing peace to a person, group, or area, often through force, negotiation, or appeasement.
To calm someone down, soothe anger or agitation, or pacify a person or crowd.
To soothe or calm someone who is upset or angry, often through gentle words or actions.
She pacified the crying child.
I had a hard time pacifying the angry customer.
To calm or quell strong emotions, pain, or unrest. Often used for internal feelings or abstract disturbances.
He couldn't pacify his anger.
The music pacified her anxiety.
Same as なだめる but written with kanji. More formal or literary.
I offered pacifying words.
To bring a rebellious area or group under control, often by force or authority.
To suppress or quell a riot, rebellion, or uprising, typically by force.
The government sent troops to pacify the rebellion.
The police pacified the riot.
To pacify and bring peace to a region, often through military conquest or governance. Implies a more lasting settlement.
The general pacified the region.
To overpower and bring under control, often used in military or police contexts.
The special forces pacified the terrorists.
To pacify a person or country by giving in to demands, often to avoid conflict.
To win over or pacify someone by persuasion, concessions, or appeasement, often in political contexts.
The government tried to pacify the opposition.
To appease or conciliate, often used in international relations. Implies a policy of making concessions to maintain peace.
A policy of pacification sometimes invites aggression.
To humor or placate someone, often in a personal or informal context. Literally 'take someone's mood'.
To calm a crying or fussy baby.
The English word 'pacification' is often used in formal or military contexts. In Japanese, the appropriate word depends heavily on the situation. Using 鎮圧する for calming a person would sound unnatural and overly aggressive.
なだめる is used for calming people through gentle actions, while 鎮める is more for suppressing emotions or abstract unrest. 鎮める can also be used for calming physical pain or natural phenomena.
I bought coffee to pacify my boss.
How can I pacify the baby?