1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relented
A couple of months into the school year, after Lia scored a role in a production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Joy relented.
—
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
With the sun still high in the sky at six o’clock, the heat had barely relented.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
At last the lieutenant relented—sort of.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Advertisement In 1959, after a year of pressure from the Women’s Emergency Committee to Reopen Our Schools and a federal court order, Faubus relented and Little Rock’s public high schools reopened.
—Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Someone came up with a fix, and the Japanese eventually relented.
—Henry Larson, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Though initially reluctant, Ivey relented when Jenkins, 31, promised to stay on the phone with the elder boy during the walk.
—Maia Nehme, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The judge relented in the face of his daughter’s determination, perhaps more than a little proud of her patriotic pluck.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
With the sun still high in the sky at six o’clock, the heat had barely relented.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
At last the lieutenant relented—sort of.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Advertisement In 1959, after a year of pressure from the Women’s Emergency Committee to Reopen Our Schools and a federal court order, Faubus relented and Little Rock’s public high schools reopened.
—Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Someone came up with a fix, and the Japanese eventually relented.
—Henry Larson, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Though initially reluctant, Ivey relented when Jenkins, 31, promised to stay on the phone with the elder boy during the walk.
—Maia Nehme, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The judge relented in the face of his daughter’s determination, perhaps more than a little proud of her patriotic pluck.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relented
Verb
-
Due to their high metabolism and sensitive respiratory system, these small, yellow songbirds succumbed to the invisible, odorless gas much faster than humans.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Shalanda Williams, 43, succumbed to her injuries after being transported to a local hospital, according to the MPD news release.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By day 10, my entire nervous system was hijacked—every fiber of my being was at ease, and all cravings subsided.—
Essence,
Essence,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Once the brouhaha subsided, the players said their final farewell to each other and headed back into the locker room.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Santosh debuted in the Un Certain Regard competition at Cannes in 2024 and was submitted as the UK’s entry for the Best International Feature category at the 97th Academy Awards.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The fee is charged when parole is granted, not when a request for parole is submitted, according to DHS.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the breath, the Warsaw researchers determined that metabolic rates decreased by as much as forty per cent; heart rates, blood pressure, and core temperature fell.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
-
While overall passenger volume, domestic and international, at Miami International Airport decreased in the first half of 2025, arrivals from the UK slightly increased.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Like Perri, the data would suggest Darlow has conceded more goals than he was expected to, but to a marginally better extent.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
In a moment of rare institutional self-reflection, Powell conceded that the Fed kept its balance sheet expansion going too long during the pandemic.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The coming of age has not diminished Reich’s capacity to articulate complex political and economic issues in clear language.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Bean and squash yields (as measured by weight) were reduced when intercropped with maize, while maize yields were only slightly diminished when intercropped.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The defense has surrendered 20 or more points in every game this season, including 30-plus in four of six contests.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Two rushing touchdowns were surrendered but just as damning was a 15-yard scramble by Mayfield for a third-and-14 conversion, two plays before his 45-yard touchdown throw.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The trees had already been felled and piled by the landowner; the log piles were initially slated to be burned to reduce the fire hazard.—
Syris Valentine,
Scientific American,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Grainier‘s an itinerant lumber man who worked the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century, felling timber and building railroads.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Relented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relented. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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