softening 1 of 3

present participle of soften

softening

2 of 3

adjective

softening

3 of 3

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of softening
Adjective
The broader grocery sector is battling a number of headwinds in 2025, driven by tariffs but also measured declines in consumer confidence and signs that shoppers are pulling back on even essential purchases amid persistent inflation and a softening of the labor market. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025 Besides doing the double duty of cleansing and softening, the oil is also a true multihyphenate in the ways it can be used, whether as a body wash, shaving base, or bath soak. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025 Investors are looking for ways to play the potential softening of the labor market and consumer spending. Frank Holland, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025 However, experts Takeda and Kingston warn that those could simply reflect a strategic softening to help her electoral prospects, without any real change of convictions. Chad De Guzman, Time, 4 Oct. 2025 The breakdown of these traditional promotional barriers has led to a softening of the hard-line broadcast deals that previously meant Star Boxer A couldn’t take on Star Boxer B simply because each fought on different platforms. Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025 The softening of the labor market is a major factor weighing on the Federal Reserve, as the central bank’s chairman Jerome Powell indicated in his Jackson Hole address that rate cuts could be coming. Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 The warmth and steam from the hot glass helps speed along the softening process. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
Persistent challenges, such as elevated input costs and softening demand from key markets like China, have pressured margins across the industry. Michael Khouw, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025 In its most recent statement, the Federal Reserve warned of stagflation, with the economy slowing, job gains softening, unemployment creeping higher, and inflation staying elevated. Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025 There’s something so modern about the way heritage houses like Chanel are softening their iconic silhouettes, luxurious yet lived-in, polished but approachable. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025 The only silver lining in recent economic news is that the Fed has finally started a rate-cutting cycle in an attempt to shoreup a softening job market, which could benefit consumers interested in borrowing for mortgages, cars and other purchases. Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 News of the White House’s softening stance prompted Wall Street to claw back about half of Friday’s losses—a narrative that is becoming par for the course (to leverage the lingo of the president’s favorite pastime). Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025 Like Mitchell, Estrada has a knack for softening the sharp edges of our emotions and finding beauty in our ugly truths. Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025 With the economy softening and the job market deteriorating, workers at firms from Amazon to Boeing to Dell who want to hold on to their jobs are being pulled back in. Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025 For one, consuming fiber helps with digestion by adding bulk to stools and softening them, which helps ease constipation. Cathy Cassata, Health, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softening
Verb
  • By suddenly disclosing its true holdings, China could drive up gold prices while signaling stronger backing for the renminbi, thus weakening the dollar’s global clout.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Recent economic data has suggested a weakening labor market and inflation up a touch, but not so much as to crack the stock market.
    Sarah Min, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The maternity concierge serves as a liaison, guiding expectant parents through the multifaceted stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, alleviating anxiety and stress while assisting families in navigating the journey.
    MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Aside from the compelling morality of alleviating human suffering, this aid can provide a bulwark against foreign manipulation, the emergence of terrorist havens, the growth of black markets, and other security threats that arise from chronic underdevelopment and economic struggle.
    Don Graves, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The formula is infused with emollient fatty acids to help support the skin’s moisture barrier, while its semi-sheer finish ensures a soft glow—far from the heavy-handed bronzer looks of the mid-2010s.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The British government will see a deal it as a vindication of Starmer’s emollient approach to Trump, which has avoided direct confrontation or criticism.
    Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Even though Lockett was electrocuted, Kentuckians believed the sentence was too lenient.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Some travelers may welcome the flexibility, while others could be concerned about inconsistency or worried that more lenient enforcement will lead to fuller overhead bins and more gate checks overall.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The result is containers that pack three times as much color and weeks of successive flowering in spring.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The hormone that triggers flowering is destroyed by light.
    Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But mitigating this is its far greater distance, plus the fact that Earth appears much smaller in the sky.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2025
  • At Leyba-Gonzalez's sentencing, Harrison said that her job was to sentence the person in front of her rather than to send a message, and that the mitigating factors in the case outweighed the aggravators.
    Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Zubac outscored Guangzhou 12-10 in the paint by himself in the first half, and that was with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue being merciful.
    Law Murray, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie.
    Amanda Castro Gabe Whisnant Anna Commander Toby Meyjes Shane Croucher John Feng Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • With so much talk about evolution this season, using new signings and existing players in different ways could be key for Arteta.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Bailey is hoping the exhibition will show viewers both Renoir’s creative process and its evolution.
    Jane Levere, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Softening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softening. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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