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
Relevance
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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The final arrangement is a mystery revealed only after it’s coaxed out of its mold.—
Megan Paetzhold,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026 -
To understand what purpose these receptors might serve, Villar and his colleagues coaxed a pair of California two-spot octopuses to mate in the lab.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some environmental advocates applauded the move as a step in the right direction.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
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Antiplastic advocates applauded Thursday’s announcement.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For White Ribbon Day in 2024, Bournemouth were praised for their video campaign, which showed the journeys of a man and a woman home from the Vitality Stadium after dark.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Hall praised the department’s efforts this year under the leadership of Wayne Jones, who became the city’s first Black police chief in 2023.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Speakers also thanked and congratulated their teams, including prosecutors, police officers, and social workers for helping keep children safe.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In a statement on Monday, Johnson congratulated King on landing the gig.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Fire Chief Bob Grabowski commended DeJong’s contributions to the department in the village’s news release.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Alex Souponetsky, general manager of Fly Legacy Aviation, commended Aytch’s handling of the emergency.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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The main specific risk is the potential for nodules or granulomas (small bumps) forming under the skin, especially if improperly placed or massaged.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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One contestant in a Travis Kelce butt cut leaped over an ironing board; another held a tape measure to his crotch and stroked it.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Of the 2,400 who participated in the study, mostly preferred being flattered.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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The present profit forecasts are being flattered by surging estimates for semiconductor and energy companies without yet reflecting any frictional effects of the massive jump in energy, chemical and shipping costs, nor the unhelpful rise in Treasury yields toward the top of their one-year range.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 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 8 Apr. 2026.
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