RELENTED Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

relented

verb

past tense of relent

as in succumbed

to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) the supervisor finally relented in the face of the petition, and allowed employees to take longer lunch breaks

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in subsided

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the fury of the storm relented, and the next day the sun finally broke through the clouds

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of relented The Palestinian militant group Hamas initially resisted using women in suicide attacks but relented in 2004. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 The company relented to a public outcry and lowered the price, again impacting the bottom line. — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026 Wagoner relented and Parton, with a song that captured the pain of deep heartbreak, embarked on a solo career almost incomparable in the history of American music. — CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 Payne, who was apparently in love with Shelley himself, sat on them for a little while, but eventually relented. — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 Mourinho reacted by again threatening to leave, but relented after receiving further public backing from the president. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 The weather relented in the afternoon with just over three hours of play possible on the second day. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 When the paper imposed a fee, readers revolted; the editors relented in some editions. — Sam Roberts, Longreads, 11 Aug. 2026 But the agency later relented because of backlash from the pharmaceutical industry and public health experts. — Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relented

Verb

Moore succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital later in the morning.

— Jessie DiMartino, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
One of the shooting victims, later identified as Parker, succumbed to his injuries.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of succumbed

Verb

But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Questions about security failures But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.

— Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of subsided

Verb

The network apologized; Rather defended the report initially but conceded after several weeks that the materials should not have been used.

— Walter Podrazik, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
Mark Klukow, assistant chief of operations with the law enforcement agency, acknowledged the issues and conceded there was mismanagement in the past.

— Ashley Grams, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of conceded

Verb

This means any slowdown in the labor market could create a more serious consumption problem, with the same households facing slower income growth and decreased access to credit.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
And the number of young people who stayed on medication for six months — already quite low — may have actually decreased.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of decreased

Verb

Line of Duty producer World Productions has submitted separate plans to reimagine the Time Lord after CEO Simon Heath recently mooted his interest in the Doctor Who tender.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
His arrest came after a DNA sample submitted to the state crime lab by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Chapel Hill Police Department matched a profile found at the original crime scene, authorities said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of submitted

Verb

That is quite far apart from the commercial industry, which actually stands to be diminished by these policy reforms.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2026
By raw numbers, net domestic out-migration of Californians to other states continues even as the California exodus overall has diminished in strength.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminished

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relent

relented

relenting

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“Relented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relented. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of relented

verb

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