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
  • Secondly, as markets remain gripped by concerns around long-term public debt and fiscal sustainability globally, Gower acknowledged that higher bond yields remain a challenge for non-yielding assets like gold.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of yielding
Adjective
  • In this sense, there is a distinct possibility the spear wound was a final, merciful act by someone close to them.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The merciful conclusion of this horrific season officially ends the Mike Krukow era in the Giants broadcast booth.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of merciful
Verb
  • His talent for facing every danger head-on did not prevent Altobelli from succumbing to self-defeat.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Short enough to read in a single sitting, Sara Gran’s chilling story of an architect succumbing to demonic possession will leave readers stunned and unsettled.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of succumbing
Verb
  • Her priorities include lowering costs by expanding Medicaid, fully funded pre-kindergarten and decreasing property taxes in a sustainable way.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Black representation is already decreasing at City Hall, a concern among some Black community leaders.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 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
  • And while the sneaker’s upper appears mostly the same from a glance, it’s also been tweaked to offer a more forgiving fit.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • On ordinary days, the loop is a training ground for runners and cyclists, and an unusually forgiving place for beginners and families.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Orlando is winless in its last four away matches, conceding 13 goals.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But among all Ukrainian regions surveyed, Kyiv respondents had the lowest support for conceding the Donbas territory.
    — Gerard Toal, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All