appeasement
noun
ap·pease·ment
ə-ˈpēz-mənt 
plural appeasements
1
: the act or action of appeasing someone or something
… one tribe may go in for the appeasement of local ghosts …—
W. D. Howells
W. D. Howells
especially
: a policy of appeasing an enemy or potential aggressor by making concessions
Although appeasement may work in individual cases, terrorist groups with global ambitions cannot be appeased by territorial concessions. —Walter Laqueur
Walter Laqueur The Munich analogy—recalling the Allies' appeasement of Germany over its demands on Czechoslovakia in 1938—has been cited again and again, and this is understandable. —Fredric Smoler
Fredric Smoler 2
: the state of being satisfied
an experience from which he derived little appeasement
… we are relieved to read of Shaw … alleviating the tedium of a vegetarian diet with secret gorges on boiled sweets and cake; his sensuality found appeasement in sugar.—Robertson Davies
Robertson DaviesExamples of appeasement in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chamberlain was gullible and naïve, and Chamberlain’s appeasement to Hitler is considered one of the biggest betrayals in modern history.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2025
During the event, Goff referenced a 1938 speech by British wartime leader Winston Churchill, in which Churchill criticized Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
New Zealand's top diplomat in the U.K. was removed from his post after critical comments of Trump and comparisons to appeasement before World War II when some advocated for Hitler taking parts of the then-Czechoslovakia.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
Some European commentators, including one broadly sympathetic to parts of Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda, have recalled an even starker example of prewar appeasement.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
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Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2025
During the event, Goff referenced a 1938 speech by British wartime leader Winston Churchill, in which Churchill criticized Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
New Zealand's top diplomat in the U.K. was removed from his post after critical comments of Trump and comparisons to appeasement before World War II when some advocated for Hitler taking parts of the then-Czechoslovakia.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
Some European commentators, including one broadly sympathetic to parts of Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda, have recalled an even starker example of prewar appeasement.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appeasement
Cite this Entry
“Appeasement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appeasement. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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