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
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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
Simply rubbing the leaves with a drizzle of oil and citrus juice, along with a pinch of salt, will soften the hearty leaves and tame their earthy flavor.
—
Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Trump backed away, softened the tone of his relationship with Fed Chair Powell and moved on to tilt with other windmills.
—Bruce Yandle, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
Banana pudding fluff and traditional banana pudding have a lot in common: plenty of banana flavor and banana slices to bite into, nilla wafers that soften in the custard, and creamy vanilla-scented pudding.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 1 June 2025
February 2025 Knight of Cups: February invites you to soften your approach to life, to yourself, and to others.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Trump backed away, softened the tone of his relationship with Fed Chair Powell and moved on to tilt with other windmills.
—Bruce Yandle, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
Banana pudding fluff and traditional banana pudding have a lot in common: plenty of banana flavor and banana slices to bite into, nilla wafers that soften in the custard, and creamy vanilla-scented pudding.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 1 June 2025
February 2025 Knight of Cups: February invites you to soften your approach to life, to yourself, and to others.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soften
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Verb
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To alleviate the disparity between funders’ donation caps and nonprofits’ need for resources, Godoy suggests nonprofits share services and spaces — such as collectively pitching in for an accountant or having joint office areas — to spur teamwork while cutting costs.—
Isabel Rivera,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
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The agent, already familiar with your size, preferences and style history, evaluates how each option might suit your physique, identifies the best price across retailers and finalizes the purchase, thus conserving your time and alleviating decision fatigue.—
Sandeep Shivam,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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For them, the low exemption amount can result in substantial estate tax liability that could have been mitigated with proper advance planning and structuring.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Alongside ice rollers and chilled towels, there’s nothing more reliable for mitigating the suffocating heat than a handheld fan.—
Izzy Baskette,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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As Elon Musk, Trump fight on Twitter, here's a look back at SpaceX CEO's visits to Mar-a-Lago Trump has seemingly tried to temper his public comments about Musk, wishing his companies well.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
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Moving quickly, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture, a ¼ cup at a time, into the sugar-egg mixture while whisking by hand continuously to temper the eggs.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Encouragingly, loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean have begun nesting in cooler areas potentially a natural adaptation to buffer against extreme warming.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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As a rule of thumb, allow ample time for transportation — at least an extra hour to buffer against scheduling mishaps or contingencies.—
Noah W. Miller,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Regardless of where tariff rates end up, the largest companies aim to deploy some mitigation strategies to cushion the impact on consumer prices.—
Courtney Reagan,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
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However, the Nigerian government will do more to cushion the impact of reforms on the most vulnerable.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soften.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soften. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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