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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



19 words match “MOLLIFY”

MOLLIFY v. 2 definitions
en; to make tender; to reduce the hardness, harshness, or asperity of; to qualify; as, to mollify the ground. With sweet science mollified their stubborn hearts. Spenser.
ATTEMPER v.
To soften, mollify, or moderate; to soothe; to temper; as, to attemper rigid justice with clemency.
CONCILIATE v.
o gain from a state of hostility; to gain the good will or favor of; to make friendly; to mollify; to propitiate; to appease. The rapacity of his father's administration had excited such universal discontent, that it was found expedient to conciliate the nation. Hallam.
CONCILIATORY a.
Tending to conciliate; pacific; mollifying; propitiating. The only alternative, therefore, was to have recourse to the conciliatory policy. Prescott.
CORRIGENT n.
A substance added to a medicine to mollify or modify its action. Dunglison.
DEMULCE v.
To soothe; to mollify; to pacify; to soften. [R.] Sir T. Elyot.
DEMULCENT a.
Softening; mollifying; soothing; assuasive; as, oil is demulcent.
DULCIFY v.
Fig. : To mollify; to sweeten; to please. As she . . . was further dulcified by her pipe of tobacco. Hawthorne.
HEALING a.
Tending to cure; soothing; mollifying; as, the healing art; a healing salve; healing words. Here healing dews and balms abound. Keble.
MINCE v.
ince it in love, but directly to say -- "I love you." Shak. Siren, now mince the sin, And mollify damnation with a phrase. Dryden. If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him. Dryden.
MITIGATE v.
To make mild and accessible; to mollify; -- applied to persons. [Obs.] This opinion ... mitigated kings into companions. Burke.
MOLLIFICATION n.
The act of mollifying, or the state of being mollified; a softening. Chaucer.
OBDURATE a.
Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked. The very custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary. Hooker. Art thou obdurate, flinty, hard as steel, Nay, more than flint, for stone at rain relenteth Shak.…
RAMOLLESCENCE n.
A softening or mollifying. [R.]
RELENT v.
To mollify ; to cause to be less harsh or severe. [Obs.]
REMOLLIENT a.
Mollifying; softening. [R.]
SOFTEN v.
To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable. Diffidence conciliates the proud, and softens the severe. Rambler.
SOOTHE v.
To assuage; to mollify; to calm; to comfort; as, to soothe a crying child; to soothe one's sorrows. Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. Congreve. Though the sound of Fame May for a moment soothe, it can not slake The fever of vain longing. Byron.
TEMPER v.
ify, as by adding some new element; to qualify, as by an ingredient; hence, to soften; to mollify; to assuage; to soothe; to calm. Puritan austerity was so tempered by Dutch indifference, that mercy itself could not have dictated a milder system. Bancroft. Woman! lovely woman! nature made thee To temper man: we had bee…