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
-
Munetaka Murakami coaxed a leadoff walk from Lugo.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026 -
The news was especially unexpected after the streamer coaxed a reluctant Sarah Michelle Gellar to bring back her original Buffy character and shot a $12 million pilot, directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, that introduced a new generation of Sunnydale High School characters.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The United Center faithful applauded as the final horn sounded for the last time this season.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The show then cut to the present day, where the audience applauded Plaza, whose baby bump could be seen under her navy blue dress.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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All of those Democratic contenders had quickly called on Swalwell to quit the race and praised the women who came forward.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Before Mamdani spoke, the crowd heard from a city transportation department staffer to hear about Mamdani’s pothole filling blitz; a tenant organizer who praised the mayor’s focus on renters; and a mother who boosted his push to expand child care programs in the city.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Board member Ann Maine congratulated Aitchison after the meeting.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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The morning show host congratulated Sophia and Isabella — who went to different high schools — on their accomplishments with individual social media posts.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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At a news conference after the hearing, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney apologized to the families of the victims and commended the authorities who ultimately caught Heuermann.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
8 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
-
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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And while this is another surprise departure — with sporting director Guillermo Hoyos in line to take over on an interim basis — Mascherano’s side have flattered to deceive this season in MLS despite a big turnover of players, and $15million centre-forward German Berterame scoring just once.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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The bot continually flattered her and prompted her to ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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