1
as in coaxing
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 massaging
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-soaping
Verb
-
Has anyone had success with these colorful callas, coaxing them to bloom year after year as advertised?—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026 -
Seeman was doing her usual thing on Friday, coaxing batters to hit ground balls and pop-ups.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
To heat, microwave in short intervals, massaging the rice around in between.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
18 May 2026
-
In October 2018, a student told her school counselor and then Hiner that Agan had come up behind her and started massaging her neck beneath her long hair.—
Holly McDede,
ProPublica,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
In a post on X on May 29, Shriver marked what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday by praising the court's ruling against efforts to rename the cultural institution.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
There was only one other visitor, another mother stroking another small head.—
Fran Moreland Johns,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
-
Alongside Cruise feeding and stroking his dying cat while walking around his mansion with his gut hanging out, there are shots of planes readying for battle and collapsing polar ice caps.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With commencement season rapidly coming to a close, on Saturday, Sonoma State University was commending its graduates on their resilience.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
-
On March 24, the court passed a resolution recognizing and commending the Turning Point Academy of Granbury, a religious school set to open in the fall that is connected to the conservative Turning Point USA movement.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Patrick Mahomes has a share in the Kansas City Royals and tweeted a video of Kelce's first pitch in congratulating him.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
-
Patrick Mahomes has a share in the Kansas City Royals and tweeted a video of Kelce’s first pitch in congratulating him.—
Joe Reedy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
For seven minutes after the final whistle, players and staff stood on the edge of the penalty area applauding the Liverpool supporters amassed in the Bill Shankly Kop as the Jota song remained on loop.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
That is worth acknowledging and applauding.—
Jonathan Greenblatt,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Ben spends the afternoon buttering up Ellie and praising her cake-icing skills, and even gives her the task of decorating the wedding cake.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.—
Ashley Iasimone,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Soft-soaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaping. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
