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
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Many of us don't have the time—or the skill—to work at coaxing flowers out of the garden.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026 -
Emery had been incessant in wanting shorter, faster balls from his deeper players, with Villa’s best opportunity of the afternoon stemming from brave passing in combination in the first half, coaxing Fulham onto them before John McGinn whipped a ball into the space behind.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Not every type of kale needs massaging.—
Zoe Denenberg,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 2026
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The best part is that it can be used on bare or painted nails—even just massaging your cuticles and nail beds can provide results.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The president has surely been pleased that a friendly new Post opinion page has written columns so regularly praising his foreign policy acumen, and supporters of Ukraine may also be grateful.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
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Franklin’s post, which included a time lapse of her artistic process, accrued hundreds of comments praising her work as well as the film’s decision to hire a human artist for the project.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
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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
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Two-year-old Lily Capasso stopped by, stroking a small paint brush on the starting line – a sign that the world’s most iconic marathon is for everyone, no matter their age.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Attention around Simpson has since taken off, with people commending him for his kindness and generosity.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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After the hearing, Gorman’s family released a statement commending the judge for detaining Medina.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Al-Sudani issued a statement congratulating al-Zaidi.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Jerry Jones quickly recovered and told a story about Clinton after congratulating him on a recent Forbes article that highlighted his accomplishments.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He was given a standing ovation and responded by applauding all four sides of the stadium.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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The audience responded by applauding.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.—
Ashley Iasimone,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-soaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaping. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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