pacification

noun

pac·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌpa-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: the act or process of pacifying : the state of being pacified

b

: the act of forcibly suppressing or eliminating a population considered to be hostile

2

: a treaty of peace

Examples of pacification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Netanyahu, in public remarks during his trip, has also not mentioned the creation of an independent Palestinian state, which the U.S., regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and many others consider critical to an enduring end of the Gaza war and broader pacification of the Middle East. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024

One limitation of this modern-day resistance spread across a globalized system is that its wins can feel like pacifications. —WIRED, 22 Oct. 2023

The enlargement of the U.S. military that accompanied the pacification of rebellious southern whites and the defeat of Native American resistance did not recede once those projects were complete. —Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022

After temporary pacification, what? —Charles Austin Beard, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a