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
Relevance
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
1
as in complying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in merciful
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relenting
Verb
-
The church's front doors lay in pieces, succumbing to the flames and the pressure of the water.—
Noe Padilla,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024 -
Frey said believes Hoover slipped on the ice, fell to the ground and was unable to get back up before succumbing to harsh weather conditions.—
Craig Shoup,
The Tennessean,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Not only did the team put an offensive moniker that shall remain nameless in this space in its past, but Snyder's sad and disturbing reign as owner finally came to a merciful end.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
-
Savory pork and briny tapenade slam against your palate, while a merciful scattering of greens doused with lemon juice softens the blow.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
Residing or working in the country without legal status and submitting false documents to government authorities for a range of benefits or for employment is already a federal crime.—
Ray Stern,
The Arizona Republic,
24 Dec. 2024
-
After submitting those contributions for public matching funds, the Adams campaign raked in an additional $22,000 in taxpayers’ cash off of them, records show.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.—
Barnet Sherman,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
-
Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
That’s as measured by the more forgiving WLTP standards in Europe, but impressive nonetheless, and probably a longer distance than most people would want to drive in one trip anyway.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 July 2025
-
After an injury shifted his focus from punishing road running to softer, more forgiving trails, McEnaney has completed multiple 100-mile races, including the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail in New England, but only one in less than 24 hours.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Though that sentence could also have stopped after four words, the statistics really are bad — conceding around one goal every 10 corners faced.—
Jacob Whitehead,
The Athletic,
3 Jan. 2025
-
An odd openness has been the root cause of conceding early.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But the same things that prevent parents from maintaining employment or housing — especially substance abuse and mental illness — often inhibit them from engaging in services, while also diminishing their ability to protect and care for their children.—
Emily Putnam-Hornstein and Naomi Schaefer Riley,
Twin Cities,
13 Apr. 2025
-
After his round, the Irishman did not tolerate the media diminishing his spot in the tournament.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Japan hasn’t been as pliant as Trump seemed to expect.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
-
Letz is a physically and emotionally pliant but also a verbose actor of great versatility, able to play a standard Second City dad and Chicag’ow type, but also a neurotic (lots of call for that in this show) and a dweeb and, well, whatever gets thrown his way.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Relenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relenting. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share