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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of soften
February 2025 Knight of Cups: February invites you to soften your approach to life, to yourself, and to others.
—
Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025
Airlines have been cutting flights in response to softening bookings.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
Grapes are chilled after picking for 24 hours to soften grape skins before whole cluster fermentation.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
In a December call, the Pope lobbied Biden to soften death-row sentences for convicts.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025
Airlines have been cutting flights in response to softening bookings.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
Grapes are chilled after picking for 24 hours to soften grape skins before whole cluster fermentation.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
In a December call, the Pope lobbied Biden to soften death-row sentences for convicts.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soften
Verb
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Others may develop it after pregnancy, as the muscles and ligaments around the uterus can loosen or weaken.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
10 May 2025
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This weakens their ability to tailor experiences and erodes marketing efficiency.—
Amit Jhawar,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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The result is often a child who takes on too much responsibility, sacrificing their own childhood to help alleviate the stress their parent is experiencing.—
Lia Miller,
Parents,
1 May 2025
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Starbucks is also using new technology to alleviate staffing bottlenecks and speed pickup times for mobile orders.—
Kevin Williams,
Quartz,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The trillions in investment that the world needs to mitigate and adapt to climate change will come in forms that might otherwise be classified broadly as infrastructure, venture capital, or private equity.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
10 May 2025
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These observational networks are the factual basis upon which all efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change are based.—
Eric Morgan,
Wired News,
10 May 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately for her, the cat in question belongs to Moen's parents and happens to be rather old and rather bad tempered.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Read: The man out to prove how dumb AI still is To help temper—and harness—the tendency to hallucinate, newer AI systems are being positioned as collaborative tools that can help judge ideas.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The two shared similar interests in art, design, and entrepreneurship, and often collaborated on projects that helped buffer Boswell’s creative vision.—
Avon Dorsey,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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Among much else, the trees shelter marine life, capture carbon from the atmosphere and buffer coastlines from powerful waves.—
Avery Schuyler Nunn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Johns Hopkins becomes the second major research university this month to step up with self-funding to help cushion the impact from the sudden loss or suspension of federal research dollars.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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That could help cushion any China-centric shock through ports and logistics networks.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soften.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soften. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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