SOFT-SOAPING Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

soft-soaping

verb

present participle of soft-soap

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in massaging

to praise too much shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soaping

Verb

Last year, Ian Stamy took the state prize for his bumper soybean yield, coaxing an average of just over 100 bushels per acre from his operation in central Pennsylvania.

— Scott Neuman, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Carlos Rodon executed his pitch perfectly, coaxing Christian Franklin into what should have been an inning-ending double-play ball hit straight to Chisholm at second base.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of coaxing

Verb

And, like Markiplier, Rice then embarks on years of hard work before the film’s release, massaging audience-specific outlets and influencers.

— Justine Bateman, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026
For best results, the brand recommends massaging a dollop into the scalp for two full minutes before rinsing it out.

— Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of massaging

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

Definition of stroking

Verb

But instead of congratulating their long-time colleague, her co-workers, under the orders of their department head, urged her to think again.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
The rest of the league is playing poker, while Dunleavy is sitting in the corner playing Solitaire and congratulating himself on not losing any cards.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of congratulating

Verb

The audience, which was heavily pro-Bass, eventually started applauding more and more of Raman’s responses.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
That was because the player being replaced — match-winner Will Lankshear — took more than 10 seconds to depart while applauding the supporters.

— George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of applauding

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

Definition of buttering up

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soft-soaped

soft-soaping

soft-soaps

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“Soft-soaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaping. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of soft-soaping

verb

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