1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

relenting 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in complying

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in merciful

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

relenting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of relent
1
as in succumbing
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decreasing
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

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 relenting
Adjective
Gaviota’s non-relenting expansion amid a severe economic crisis significantly contributed to the country’s current humanitarian emergency. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
Verb
Yields don't show any signs of relenting, especially as the ongoing war in the Middle East raises worry about whether energy prices will stay elevated. — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026 Located in Malheur and Owyhee counties near Jordan Valley, the wildfire has blanketed the Boise area in smoke, with no signs of that relenting as the wind flow continues from the southwest. — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 29 July 2026 Russia's leader, however, has exhibited little sign of relenting. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Speedy Jonah Cox replaced Devers, who tried to shoo him away before relenting and storming through the dugout. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 June 2026 But Tehran offered no sign of relenting on its enrichment program, and by Wednesday afternoon, had warned that tanker traffic would halt through the strait until Israel paused its attacks in Lebanon. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 Ayatollah Khomeini initially banned the game, relenting shortly before his death, and today Iran has a few grandmasters playing the game their country brought to the world. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026 But Iranian officials showed no sign of relenting, warning the country could strike electricity targets across the Persian Gulf and even hit plants that supply the region with drinking water. — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026 On March 18, temperatures in Phoenix reached 102 degrees, the city’s earliest 100-degree day on record — and the heat shows no signs of relenting. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relenting
  1. yielding
  2. merciful
  3. succumbing
  4. decreasing
  5. pliant
  6. forgiving
  7. conceding
  8. subsiding
Adjective
  • These resources can be used to breed new varieties of crops that are higher yielding, more resilient to climate change, and more nutritious.
    — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Lead—dense but yielding, silvery but ashen, handy but deadly—was long used for this purpose.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
Definition of yielding
Adjective
  • Soon, an Angels’ season filled with firings, turmoil and loss after loss after loss will come to its merciful conclusion.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • God did not punish him intensely, but only from time to time and in a merciful way.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of merciful
Verb
  • The inherent challenge in making films dealing with progressive illness is not succumbing to an inescapably formulaic structure that can’t help but go with the territory.
    — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The stone never does talk to Larry, and Dillard ends that story by succumbing to her faith in the nothingness.
    — Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of succumbing
Verb
  • The flashing yellow phase at the traffic signal is also meant to help with traffic flow and reduce emissions by decreasing wait times at the light.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In addition, this development shows that behind-the-scenes diplomacy can still be effective, even in an atmosphere of decreasing trust among allies.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Adjective
  • The world went in, and pliant, playful interpretations flowed out.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Fernández’s theory is that Mark must have told the women the code to his safe in his pliant stupor.
    — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of pliant
Adjective
  • Western chefs’ knives tend to be sturdy, heavy, and made with slightly softer and more forgiving steel; Japanese chef’s knives (known as a gyuto), on the other hand, are designed to be sharp, nimble, and excellent slicers.
    — Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Its cotton material has been garment-dyed for extra softness and blended with a touch of elastane for a more forgiving fit.
    — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • As the plot progresses, there are constant digs at Google Maps and Apple Maps for conceding to Trump’s order.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Both those previous hammerings came out of the blue, just as Wrexham’s humbling in front of the live TV cameras happened off the back of conceding just one goal in their first three Championship away games this season.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of conceding
Verb
  • Multiple Kelvin waves These waves can bring elevated sea levels for weeks at a time, eventually subsiding before the next wave hits.
    — Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Two of them coincide with areas where satellite radar shows that the ground is actively subsiding.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsiding

Browse Nearby Words

relented
relenting
relentless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Relenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relenting. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All