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
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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
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Recent Examples of softened
Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Mar. 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, 25 Feb. 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
Everything in this recipe is made with love, from the tomato sauce to the filling which is tenderly wrapped in the softened cabbage leaves.
—Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2026
Lightly grease paper with softened butter.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Coming on midway into the second half, a few substitutes ran with the baton against a softened opponent.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 12 Mar. 2026
Mike Logan, whose womanizing ways softened over time, on Law & Order from 1990 to 1995.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Crust will be crisp For filling, in a large bowl beat softened butter with a mixer on medium 30 seconds.
—Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2026
Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Add onions to beef in Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beef is well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
No one would ever mistake border czar Tom Homan as a softie, but his replacement of Greg Bovino softened the look of Washington’s footprint there, giving way to a drawdown of force.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
And as expensive as the McDuffie trade was, the cost is softened by all Snead had to work with.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
What could have been a biting portrait of the glorification of female beauty is softened by a simple happy ending—in a world where no ending can possibly be simple, whether happy or not.
—Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
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, 25 Feb. 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
Everything in this recipe is made with love, from the tomato sauce to the filling which is tenderly wrapped in the softened cabbage leaves.
—Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2026
Lightly grease paper with softened butter.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Coming on midway into the second half, a few substitutes ran with the baton against a softened opponent.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
Now the tides are shifting, and a post-pandemic frenzy for Wright designs has softened, experts say.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 12 Mar. 2026
Mike Logan, whose womanizing ways softened over time, on Law & Order from 1990 to 1995.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Crust will be crisp For filling, in a large bowl beat softened butter with a mixer on medium 30 seconds.
—Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2026
Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Add onions to beef in Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beef is well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
No one would ever mistake border czar Tom Homan as a softie, but his replacement of Greg Bovino softened the look of Washington’s footprint there, giving way to a drawdown of force.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
And as expensive as the McDuffie trade was, the cost is softened by all Snead had to work with.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
What could have been a biting portrait of the glorification of female beauty is softened by a simple happy ending—in a world where no ending can possibly be simple, whether happy or not.
—Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softened
Adjective
-
The United States is, to her knowledge, the only country maintaining such a ban for nearly a century via Section 307 of the 1930 Tariff Act—even in its weaker form with the domestic consumption loophole.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Lessons from gold and small-caps The recent spike in oil prices has not resulted in spectacular gains for gold investors fueled by a weaker dollar, as was the case in 1973.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Will they be weakened domestically by entering the war?—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Tornado watch ends for central and east-central Georgia A tornado warning had been issued earlier Thursday morning for parts of Marion County, Chattahoochee County and Webster County before expiring once the immediate tornado threat weakened.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Congress has for the most part registered only feeble and ineffective opposition to such executive action.—
Sarah Burns,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Scratches above the dead body reach upward, marks that read as feeble attempts to cling to some semblance of life.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their immediate need for left tackle help can be partially alleviated by re-signing swing tackle Yosh Nijman in free agency, but that move would be more of a band-aid than a protective shield.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
-
To be clear, this attempt to simplify my homescreen hasn’t alleviated my time-wasting at all.—
David Pierce,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The team created a soft hydrogel made from chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer found in the shells of crustaceans.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
If emotions surge, pause to write thoughts before speaking, then return with a softer tone so both sides feel heard and respected.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But deciding how that system should evolve, how data should flow, how governance must adapt, and how compliance risk is mitigated requires human reasoning.—
Milan Shetti,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Walker was expected to cash in this offseason as the top tackle available, but a recent gun possession charge arrest in New York might have mitigated his market.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The fire disabled berthing for over 600 sailors and prompted a significant damage control effort amid ongoing combat operations against Iran.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Her candidacy has focused on her working-class roots and role as a caretaker for a disabled sister.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Videos buffered and the streaming quality wasn’t always good.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Modern guitarists can reproduce Hendrix’s chain using separate plug-ins in digital audio workstation software, but the magic often disappears when everything is buffered and quantized.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Softened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softened. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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