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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of soft-soap
Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2025
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
Ellen T. Meiser, The Conversation, 5 Dec. 2025
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
Verb
Speaking to a packed house, the pair fielded soft-soap questions of the kind that voters expect for free, but don’t sit so well with a paying public audience.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2025
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
Practical self-care items such as thick lotions, face masks and soft soaps that don’t irritate skin.
Pragmatic.
—Ellen T. Meiser, The Conversation, 5 Dec. 2025
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
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These delicate fruits are picked before they're fully ripened, which means that the right storage methods are key to coax the best flavor and quality out of them.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
22 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, outreach workers have also been trying to coax homeless New Yorkers off the street and into shelters and warming centers.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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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Inside, hyaluronic acid microspheres and peptides draw moisture into the lips, while botanical butters lock it in; depositing onto lips a cooling, balm texture that enhances comfort.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
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Olive oil chocolate chip cookies, cashew-chia pudding, tahini rice crispy treats, and more desserts made without butter, milk, or cream.—
Emily Saladino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Purifying shampoo, nourishing conditioner and scalp-massaging brush are also available to enhance your routine for your healthiest hair.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Part your hair in sections and dispense the product along the scalp, then massage it in for 30 to 60 seconds to help boost absorption and stimulate circulation.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Watch an encounter full of sweet talk, gaslighting and tension here.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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While ANTM‘s past models and judges have been commended for opening up on the Netflix docuseries, many feel that Banks did not fully take responsibility for her past actions and behavior.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
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Andrew Black, former supervisor of the FBI’s Tucson office and the University of Hawaii police chief, commended the family’s strategy to keep the case in the news but said law enforcement should be doing more.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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So, with everything that has happened over the past two weeks, Spurs deserve a lot of praise for their first-half performance against Arsenal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Granted, the actress is a brand ambassador, but the formula and five-star ratings back up her praise.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
22 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.
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