1
as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
she cunningly soft-soaped her parents into letting her go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in butter
excessive praise
a salesman who knows the value of soft soap in making a sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of soft-soap
Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
So do her successes in soft-soaping some recalcitrant senators into supporting the mission’s funding.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Verb
President Donald Trump must stop begging and soft-soaping Vladimir Putin and use our military might to force him to give up his designs upon Ukraine and its neighbors.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
So do her successes in soft-soaping some recalcitrant senators into supporting the mission’s funding.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Noun
People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soap
Verb
-
In the same way bartenders learned to coax flavors from bitters and botanicals, cannabis makers are now doing the same with THC and CBD, creating products that bartenders now use to create cocktails.—
Timothy DePeugh,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
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Clateman, who has scraggly chops, a patterned scarf wrapped around his neck, and a gray button-up—like a hippie dressed up for Picture Day—coaxes her into talking.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
Noun
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In just 10 minutes, and with a few staples (onions, cheese, butter), this warm and comforting casserole can save the day.—
Krissy Tiglias,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
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Michael also whipped up a fancy compound butter.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Most dogs love the feeling of the rubber groomer massaging their skin.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
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That merely meant coach Brian Dutcher didn’t have to delicately parcel out playing time while massaging egos on his Mariana Trench-deep roster, and the bench shortened by circumstance delivered a 77-45 win powered by a pair of true freshmen and a typically frenetic defensive effort.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Don’t fall for compliments that don’t feel genuine, and don’t be afraid to confront whatever’s beneath someone’s sweet talk.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
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The odds are that such sweet talk is going to inevitably run out or at least be intermittent.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Captain Brandon Fisher was commended by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and even Boeing executives for helping ensure none of the 177 people aboard flight 1282 were killed when the blowout happened in January 2024.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Critics and fans have commended the adaptation for its acting, cinematography, and adherence to the original source material.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One that is more spiritually rewarding than praise or criticism in scouting reports.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Here in the United States, the writer and filmmaker Mike Judge has garnered praise over the course of his career for getting laughs out of broken systems and absurd ignorance in American culture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The result is sometimes overpraising, overprotection, and overindulging children, mixing emotional intensity with economic privilege in ways that breed entitlement.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.—
Armond White,
National Review,
24 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Soft-soap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soap. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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