1
as in coaxed
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 applauded
to praise too much
shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soaped
Verb
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Now she’s been coaxed out of retirement to make her mark in online criticism, at the urging of her close personal friend, the novelist and New Yorker contributor Paul Rudnick.—
Libby Gelman-Waxner,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026 -
For much of the 20th century, coffee in the United States was cheap and almost forgettable, either instant granules dissolved in hot water or weak brews coaxed from percolators.—
Nick El Hajj,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Parry applauded the decision by Deputy Judge Sarah Clarke to dismiss Mitch Winehouse's claim that the two were not entitled to sell the items and did so without his knowledge.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Chevron, on the other hand, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the claims are related to work that the companies did under federal supervision.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Short has previously praised his Oscar-winning costar for her demeanor on set, sharing what might surprise fans most about working with her.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The director praised the major American distributor at length while speaking alongside producing partner Emilie Lesclaux at this year’s Projeto Paradiso National Talent Network Meeting, held in their hometown of Recife.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated the election winner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated Radev.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wiseman commended the pilot for the mission, Victor Glover, for his composure during the reentry.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Despite how difficult sitting through the case was, the jurors commended Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez for her fairness — and lead prosecutor Abbe Rifkin for fighting so hard for Quatisha.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Davidson said four staff members massaged about two gallons of canola oil onto Elmer for seven hours while feeding him occasionally.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In her first varsity at-bat the next day against Lincoln-Way Central, Krauchun stroked a single up the middle.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Ferrer then went back to the sinker, placed the 98 mph pitch on the outside edge of the plate and Merrill stroked it to left, clearing the bases for a walk-off win in front the remnants of a sellout crowd of 46,095.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lee Cronin was both flattered and frightened when Jason Blum suggested titling his The Mummy reimagining as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
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So you’re always flattered when people just want to have a conversation.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-soaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaped. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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