propitiative

Professor LEUBA81 and others distinguish between propitiative behaviour towards the beings of the spiritual world, as marking the religious attitude, and coercive behaviour towards these beings as characteristic of the magical attitude; but one form of behaviour merges by insensible degrees into the other, and the distinction (though a useful one) may, for our present purpose, be neglected.

Bygone Beliefs 1969

This answer forbade his further questioning; offended, possibly, his sense of that confidence which is due comrade to comrade, but she became immediately so propitiative and sweetly dependent -- the antithesis to that self-reliance her response implied -- he thought no more of it, but remained content with her reticence.

Under the Rose Frederic Stewart Isham

The old commodore's eyes flashed to retort, but the senator forced a propitiative smile, adding: "However, let that pass just now, here's something else."

Gideon's Band A Tale of the Mississippi George Washington Cable 1884

A friendly word will bring him to my hand; but his behavior is never effusive, as it would be if he had found his rightful owner, but mildly propitiative and with a touch of sadness.

Domesticated Animals Their Relation to Man and to his Advancement in Civilization Nathaniel Southgate Shaler 1873

During this period, like Ariel Sharon’s subsequent policy of “disengagement,” Israel passed off its actions to the international community as “peaceful” and “propitiative” measures that gave Palestinians autonomy.

The Politics of Pragmatism 2007