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soft-soap

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of soft-soap

1 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 of soft-soap

blandish, blarney, cajole, coax, palaver, sweet-talk, wheedle
Words Related to soft-soap

adulate, flatter, overpraise

butter up, charm, massage, woo

beg, beseech, importune, urge

beguile, cozen, finagle, juggle, wangle, wile

entice, lure, seduce, tempt
Near Antonyms of soft-soap

bug, harass, nag, pester, tease

browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, intimidate

coerce, compel, constrain, demand, force, make, oblige, require

2 to praise too much

  • shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms of soft-soap

adulate, belaud, blarney, butter up, flatter, hero-worship, honey, massage, overpraise, puff, stroke
Words Related to soft-soap

blandish, cajole, coax, sweet-talk, wheedle

fawn, kowtow, suck (up to), toady

idolize, worship

eulogize, extol (also extoll), laud, praise

applaud, commend, compliment

congratulate, felicitate

drool, gush, slaver, slobber

endear, ingratiate

court, romance, woo
Near Antonyms of soft-soap

bad-mouth, belittle, decry, depreciate, disparage, put down

Synonym Discussion of soft-soap

cajole, coax, soft-soap, blandish, wheedle mean to influence or persuade by pleasing words or actions. cajole suggests the deliberate use of flattery to persuade in the face of reluctance or reasonable objections.
    • cajoled him into cheating on the final exam
coax implies gentle and persistent words or actions employed to produce a desired effect.
    • coaxed the cat out of the tree
soft-soap refers to using smooth and somewhat insincere talk usually for personal gain.
    • politicians soft-soaping eligible voters
blandish implies a more open desire to win a person over by effusive praise and affectionate actions.
    • legislators blandished with promises of support
wheedle suggests more strongly than cajole the use of seductive appeal or artful words in persuading.
    • hucksters wheedling her life's savings out of her

Synonym Discussion of soft-soap

soft soap

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of soft soap

excessive praise

  • a salesman who knows the value of soft soap in making a sale
Synonyms of soft soap

adulation, blarney, butter, flannel [British], flattery, incense, overpraise, sweet talk, taffy
Words Related to soft soap

allurements, blandishments, endearments

caresses, compliments, congratulations, felicitations, greetings, regards, respects

adoration, idolatry, worship

fawning, sycophancy, toadying

cajolement, cajolery, ingratiation, smarm

acclaim, applause, commendation, praise
Near Antonyms of soft soap

bad-mouthing, belittlement, depreciation, detraction, disparagement, put-down

Learn More about soft-soap

  1. See words that rhyme with soft-soap Dictionary: Definition of soft-soap

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