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
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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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After nearly a full minute of coaxing, the standoff ends.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025 -
Multiple people in the room, some yelling, some hitting me, others comforting and coaxing.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Work it into the fabric by massaging it with the pads of your fingers or by rubbing the fabric against itself.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
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First, folks milk venom from snakes by massaging their venom glands into glass containers.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In fact, constantly praising your Gen Z employees can become impractical and downright exhausting.—
Colleen Batchelder,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The museum was beloved by locals, who left online reviews praising the staff's work and their warm welcome.—
Yegor Mostovshikov,
The Dial,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to the pages labeled as court exhibits, Priscilla rushed to her daughter’s bedside and was holding her hand, stroking her face, and telling her she was loved as family members gathered.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
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No one wants to follow an ego-stroking social media account with zero content value.—
Peter Boyd,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Instead, Murphy drafted a resolution commending the students’ efforts and shared it with them.—
Teri Cadeau,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Moments earlier, a video had played featuring many of her former teammates, San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas, and her husband Servando Carrasco with their children, congratulating her on a storied career.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Sep. 2025
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Please join me in congratulating Michael on his new role.—
TIME PR,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images Kardashian's comments sparked debate, with some parents applauding her stance and others questioning whether less homework might come at the expense of academic rigor.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Thousands of spectators rose to give Williams a standing ovation; Townsend and Siniaková then joined in, applauding for Williams.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An Amazon reviewer raved about how soft and flattering the material of the dress is.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Sep. 2025
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Brown nails are versatile, timeless, and always flattering.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-soaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaping. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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