as in weak
lacking bodily strength
the athlete, softened by the long period of convalescence, had to begin his training program almost from scratch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of
three weeks of being sick in bed had noticeably softened her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tempered
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of softened
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Apr. 2026
The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
Room-temperature eggs, along with softened butter and cream cheese, blend more smoothly, helping the batter emulsify and bake evenly.
—Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Mar. 2026
After cooking, the Sam's offering fell flat with softened cups of pepper that held their shape just well enough to become little swimming pools of exuded moisture.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 23 Feb. 2026
For a Rihanna-style manicure, file your nails straight across, paying attention to clean lines with slightly softened corners.
—Lina-Marie Baatz, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2026
To remove the wax, wipe out softened wax with paper towels, add cotton balls to absorb the liquid wax, or let the wax harden and remove it by popping it out with a thin plastic spatula.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Lightly grease paper with softened butter.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Mike Winters, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
There was a turn toward more casual dress in the United States, Abrego said, and attitudes softened.
—Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
—Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Men are softened or eroticized, and their capacity for menace diminished.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Add 6 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup), and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
—Selma Brown Morrow, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
In a small mixing bowl, beat ½ cup softened butter, 2 tsp.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2026
Richter’s market has proved durable even as demand for postwar painting has softened at the top end.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The light softened toward sunset, an evening echo of the same violet sky that hovered over Julian at the start of the day.
—Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
No mixer required This recipe calls for softened butter, and for stirring everything together in one-bowl, so no mixer is required!
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Apr. 2026
The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
Room-temperature eggs, along with softened butter and cream cheese, blend more smoothly, helping the batter emulsify and bake evenly.
—Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Mar. 2026
After cooking, the Sam's offering fell flat with softened cups of pepper that held their shape just well enough to become little swimming pools of exuded moisture.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 23 Feb. 2026
For a Rihanna-style manicure, file your nails straight across, paying attention to clean lines with slightly softened corners.
—Lina-Marie Baatz, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2026
To remove the wax, wipe out softened wax with paper towels, add cotton balls to absorb the liquid wax, or let the wax harden and remove it by popping it out with a thin plastic spatula.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Lightly grease paper with softened butter.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Why buyers aren’t getting relief There are signs the market has softened compared with a year ago, with fewer offers on average and a smaller share of homes selling above list price, per NAR data.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
There was a turn toward more casual dress in the United States, Abrego said, and attitudes softened.
—Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
—Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Men are softened or eroticized, and their capacity for menace diminished.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Add 6 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup), and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
—Selma Brown Morrow, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
In a small mixing bowl, beat ½ cup softened butter, 2 tsp.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2026
Richter’s market has proved durable even as demand for postwar painting has softened at the top end.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The light softened toward sunset, an evening echo of the same violet sky that hovered over Julian at the start of the day.
—Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softened
Adjective
-
Small hail is possible, and an isolated weak/brief tornado can't be ruled out.—
Mary Ours,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics and accountability program manager with California Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog, said in an email Friday that heavy reliance on outside vendors can increase the risk of fraud or mismanagement if oversight is weak.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With the war in Iraq raging, the 84-year-old pope, weakened by Parkinson’s disease and less than a year from his death, condemned the war in Iraq with Bush sitting right next to him.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Hezbollah, though weakened in its last war with Israel that ended in November 2024, still fires drones, rockets and artillery daily into northern Israel and on ground troops inside Lebanon.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For Bravo, race has always been that lingering chink in its armor — and the latest burgeoning Summer House drama threatens to continue to chip away at the network’s feeble defense against claims of racial insensitivity.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
After that provocative setup, Dream Scenario unfortunately devolved into a feeble, simplistic cancel-culture satire.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act alleviated much of the uncertainty by making most of the cuts permanent, lawyers and tax accountants say the ever-shifting tax code requires constant planning.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Fortunately, in business, such a conundrum’s difficulty is alleviated greatly by a flowchart maker.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But a never ending stream of soft contact leading to one zero after another on the scoreboard.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Non-stretch fabrics quickly become uncomfortable mid-flight, but this Anrabess Two-piece Set is made from soft, stretchy material that moves with your body while still looking put together.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Retail Food Inspection Guide.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 10,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But that challenge is mitigated by the fact that this company has demonstrated its resilience.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For instance, Medicare, which is the insurance program for older adults 65 and older in the United States and some disabled people is starting to negotiate the price of drugs for their populations.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Joglar Burrowes, who is disabled, said thousands of families had been waiting a long time for the solar systems and shouldn’t be forgotten.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So all these two things have buffered our world against recession.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Delinquency rates are nearly double the rates from October 2021 but have taken longer to reach pre-COVID levels, buffered by rising home prices.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Softened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softened. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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