RELENTS Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

relents

verb

present tense third-person singular of relent

as in succumbs

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

as in subsides

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 relents This grade slips to a C+ if Arizona eventually relents and grants Pro-Bowl pass rusher Josh Sweat’s trade request. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026 Donal eventually relents, however, after his venue burns down in a convenient plot device. — Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025 When utilities and grid operators push back, FERC generally relents. — Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025 In the early evening in Seville, when the heat relents, Sevillanos take a paseo, or leisurely stroll. — Tia Welch Maerz, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2025 One partner relents to the other’s wishes, without presenting their own needs and wants. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relents

Verb

If someone succumbs to the heat, promptly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.

— Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
With three days to go before Krypto succumbs to the slow-acting agent, Supergirl sets out on a cosmic adventure to retrieve the antidote, confronting her emotional trauma along the way.

— Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of succumbs

Verb

After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.

— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Then the climax subsides for a lovely coda of strings, accompanied by a denouement in which the now casually clad, contemporary-looking singer smashes up her play set in the apartment where she’s presumably been brooding over all this stuff.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2026

Definition of subsides

Verb

The media business always goes through some splitting of cells — meiosis and mitosis — but every industry leader concedes that consolidation is especially needed today.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 June 2026
The waiver concedes a major point of potential leverage at the start of these 60-day talks.

— Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 19 June 2026

Definition of concedes

Verb

The longer-term concern is whether the state will have to cover more of the cost if federal support decreases.

— Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 13 July 2026
Discuss Hidden Factors Instead Of Selling Features In high-trust industries, skepticism usually decreases when the conversation becomes less transactional and more observational.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of decreases

Verb

In my experience, most account management teams operate reactively, stepping in only when a customer submits a support ticket or threatens to churn.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Should the Council decline, if Unite NY then submits at least another 15,000 signatures, the matter will go to the ballot.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 July 2026

Definition of submits

Verb

Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
When the temperature difference diminishes between the warmer western Pacific and the cooler eastern Pacific, the typical east-to-west trade winds decrease even further.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Definition of diminishes

Verb

Kevin Rodriguez eases past Jamal Musiala to flick the ball into the corridor of uncertainty between Manuel Neuer and Jonathan Tah, who had already had a miscommunication earlier in the game.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Departing from Moynihan Train Hall in the heart of Manhattan, the train eases out from beneath the skyline before slipping into New Jersey, where city boroughs gradually give way to quieter suburbs.

— Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026