propitiation

[ pruh-pish-ee-ey-shuh n ]
/ prəˌpɪʃ iˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

the act of propitiating; conciliation: the propitiation of the wrathful gods.
something that propitiates.

Origin of propitiation

1350–1400; Middle English propiciacioun < Late Latin propitiātiōn- (stem of propitiātiō) appeasement. See propitiate, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM propitiation

non·pro·pi·ti·a·tion, noun

VOCAB BUILDER

What does propitiation mean?

Propitiation is the act of gaining the favor of or making things right with someone, especially after having done something wrong.

Propitiation is the noun form of the verb propitiate, meaning to appease or gain the favor of.

Close synonyms of propitiation are conciliation and appeasement. Like those words, propitiation is commonly used in a religious context. It’s especially used in Christianity to refer to the act of propitiation that Christians believe Jesus made to atone for sin—or to the atonement that Christians believe they should make to God.

Example: Without propitiation, there can be no redemption.

Where does propitiation come from?

The first records of propitiation come from around 1400. It comes from the Late Latin propitiātiōn-, meaning “appeasement.”

Propitiation is commonly used in situations in which a person has done something wrong and wants to regain someone’s favor. It’s more than an apology—propitiation typically involves doing something to earn forgiveness or redemption. For example, in propitiation for breaking a neighbor’s window, a child might offer to mow the neighbor’s lawn for three months. But the word isn’t often applied so informally. Most commonly, it’s used in a religious way, especially in reference to Jesus. Another sense of propitiation refers not to the act of atonement but to the thing that atones, and the word appears in some translations of the Bible to refer to Jesus as a living propitiation for sin.

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What are some other forms related to propitiation?

What are some synonyms for propitiation?

What are some words that share a root or word element with propitiation

 

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing propitiation?

How is propitiation used in real life?

Propitiation is typically used in a religious context.

 

 

Try using propitiation!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of propitiation?

A. conciliation
B. forgiveness
C. appeasement
D. atonement

Example sentences from the Web for propitiation