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 Instead of using moving rooms and telescopic furniture to squeeze in a full-length longitudinal bed, however, Bürstner relents to the transverse layout far more common in camper vans of this size. — New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2026 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

Vhagar dies in the crash and Caraxes succumbs to his injuries a few days after crawling out and into the bowls of Harrenhal.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of succumbs

Verb

When the storm subsides, the Pogues use Kiara’s coordinates and Pope’s calculations to return to the water and search for the gold.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
The brutal nausea and vomiting of norovirus, for instance, subsides in one to three days; even the relentless diarrhea of cyclosporiasis can let up in a couple of days with an antibiotic.

— Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of subsides

Verb

Jacques told them that the couple would only have ownership once the gallery paid the estate, but, in her court filing, Jacques concedes that was incorrect.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
The lesson here – and one the NBCU-Peacock-YouTube deal concedes – is that a media company just isn’t the mountain that Mohammed goes to – the consumers are the mountain.

— Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of concedes

Verb

Splitting the shot up decreases vaccination rates and leaves children unprotected over a longer period, experts say.

— Zac Anderson, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
When employees actively participate in shaping the policies that govern their day-to-day experience, engagement rises and turnover decreases.

— Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of decreases

Verb

When a student submits a paper written by a chatbot instead of their own work, should this be considered plagiarism?

— Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Firewise is a national program where each community of eight to 200 homes works together to create defensible space and clear brush, agrees to continue the work annually and submits an application to Firewise USA.

— Chuck Page, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of submits

Verb

Once the journey time increases, the value proposition diminishes and the project is less likely to succeed.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that for every dollar added to the deficit, private investment loses 33 cents, which diminishes economic growth and wages over time.

— Medora Lee, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of diminishes

Verb

Meanwhile, the Harford County Humane Society tells CBS News Baltimore there have been 140 owner surrenders through the county's animal control this summer, which is double last summer's total.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Summer is usually the busiest season for shelters, officials said, as more stray animals, owner surrenders and vulnerable kittens arrive.

— Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of surrenders

Verb

Scheduling days without food may have a knock-on effect that eases both chronic pain and its associated cognitive problems, according to a study on mice by researchers from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in China.

— Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
The move, officials say, gives the mission more heft and eases collaboration with the Navy and Air Force, which are at the forefront of the administration’s campaigns.

— Megan Rose, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026