1
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
three weeks of being sick in bed had noticeably softened her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to alleviate
to lessen the shock of
had tried to soften the blow of her rejection to his marriage proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of soften
While platinum blonde has ruled summer hair colors in the past, velvet blonde hair is here to soften things up.
—
Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 June 2025
With vintage terrazzo flooring, coffered ceilings, built in clean-line wooden wardrobes, and minimalist decor, this spot is a midcentury Italian dream, softened by the country charm of its setting, not far from the historic village of Gravedona.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 17 June 2025
Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social recently and abruptly softened his tone toward workers in the service industry, suggesting that some undocumented immigrants perform essential services.
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
In this sense, social media helps to ‘soften’ voters up (the Reform Party has mastered TikTok for instance).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 June 2025
With vintage terrazzo flooring, coffered ceilings, built in clean-line wooden wardrobes, and minimalist decor, this spot is a midcentury Italian dream, softened by the country charm of its setting, not far from the historic village of Gravedona.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 17 June 2025
Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social recently and abruptly softened his tone toward workers in the service industry, suggesting that some undocumented immigrants perform essential services.
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
In this sense, social media helps to ‘soften’ voters up (the Reform Party has mastered TikTok for instance).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soften
Verb
-
Abandoning recognition can erode motivation, diminish engagement and make employees feel invisible, weakening the cultural fabric and undermining long-term resilience.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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But in an unexpected ruling in 2023, the Supreme Court declined an invitation to weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Managers often fall into this trap by micromanaging to alleviate their own anxiety, but this erodes trust.—
Brittney Van Matre,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Wirtz could fit brilliantly into that mould, alleviating the need to sign a top striker, a notoriously difficult market.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Travelers are mitigating these risks by purchasing travel insurance, booking flexible tickets, and researching destinations.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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To mitigate these issues, monitoring systems are hugely important.—
Jeff Mahler,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Trade deals, such as with the UK and a tentative truce with China, have tempered these concerns.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
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Product Details: Material: Aluminum and tempered glass | Size: 20 x 5 x 26 in.—
Belle DuChene,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2025
Verb
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As spotted by PCWorld through posts on Reddit and the Brave browser forum, several ad-blocker users have complained about longer video loading times and increased buffering on YouTube.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
19 June 2025
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Short daytime rest helps buffer against full exhaustion.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Samsonite luggage, cushioned walking sneakers from Skeckers, and more popular items are up to 88 percent off.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
28 June 2025
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In turn, two state programs that are supposed to cushion employees from the effects of workplace disruption were hard-hit.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soften.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soften. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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