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 Speaker Mike Johnson is working to accommodate Republican lawmakers who are angry that the Senate won’t pass the SAVE America Act and are insisting that it be included in must-pass bills until the Senate relents. — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 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

When Mina’s closest friend Lucy succumbs to his thrall, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing is summoned to wage war on this unfathomable threat.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 22 July 2026
If someone succumbs to the heat, promptly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.

— Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 13 July 2026

Definition of succumbs

Verb

In most cases, volatility subsides after earnings, but with the lockup period for SpaceX insiders opening up two days after, tension is likely to remain high.

— Oliver Renick, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Eventually, the helicopter ejaculates a waterfall from its door, and the storm subsides.

— Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Definition of subsides

Verb

Whatever Early Warning concedes in New York will bind a network Congress never legislated on and the CFPB abandoned.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Once the darling of the NBA, the next heartthrob to splash on posters and commercials, the acrobatic point guard concedes he is viewed negatively.

— Jason Quick, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of concedes

Verb

This number obviously decreases as planes are taking off and landing around airports, where air traffic controllers are able to maintain safe distances between flights.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
The resulting design of the mouse decreases its overall footprint while retaining the stability of a familiar symmetrical profile.

— Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of decreases

Verb

The agency’s bid analysis reflects a process in which each Part D sponsor that wants to offer a standalone plan submits a bid to CMS every year, outlining the insurer’s benefits, costs and list of reimbursable medicines.

— Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Throughout 2017 Cohen (Lawyer A) submits 10 similar invoices for the remaining months in 2017, but is not on retainer, according to prosecutors.

— Jessie DiMartino, ABC News, 29 July 2026

Definition of submits

Verb

Johnson views the phrase as symbolic of a broader cultural problem, arguing that celebrating a reputation built on violence diminishes the hundreds of lives lost over the years.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026
But those behavior answers are rooted in action, and that diminishes the power of hope as a spiritual idea.

— Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of diminishes

Verb

Summer is usually the busiest season for shelters, officials said, as more stray animals, owner surrenders and vulnerable kittens arrive across the five boroughs.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026
For an Astros pitching staff that surrenders the third-highest fly-ball rate of any team in the sport, this matters.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026