soothe

American  

[sooth] / suð /

verb (used with object)

soothed, soothing

1. to tranquilize or calm (a person or their emotions); relieve, comfort, or refresh.

   soothing someone's anger;

   to soothe someone with a hot drink.

   Antonyms:

   roil , upset

2. to mitigate, assuage, or allay, as pain, sorrow, or doubt.

   to soothe sunburned skin.

   Synonyms:

   mollify , appease , alleviate

---

verb (used without object)

soothed, soothing

1. to exert a calming influence; bring tranquility, ease, or comfort.

   a soft-spoken poem that soothes like a lullaby.

soothe British  

/ suːð /

verb

1. (tr) to make calm or tranquil

2. (tr) to relieve or assuage (pain, longing, etc)

3. (intr) to bring tranquillity or relief

---

Related Words

See comfort, allay.

Other Word Forms

• self-soothed adjective
• soother noun
• unsoothed adjective

Etymology

Origin of soothe

First recorded before 950; Middle English sothen “to bear witness, confirm, verify,” Old English sōthian “to prove true”; the Modern English sense shift “to verify” becomes “to support (a person's statement),” then “to encourage,” and finally “to calm”; sooth

Compare meaning

How does soothe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sooth vs. soothe

Example Sentences

But it wouldn’t soothe many of the concerns that came out of this season, either.

From Los Angeles Times

The move has been seen as a step toward resolving the spat and Nexperia chips began leaving China again earlier this month, soothing jitters in the auto industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

The third quarter was largely strong for company earnings—Nvidia reported record sales and strong guidance Wednesday, helping soothe jitters about an artificial-intelligence bubble.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nvidia’s commentary could help soothe some of Wall Street’s concerns over high valuations in the tech sector.

From MarketWatch

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

From BBC

Related Words

• allay
• alleviate
• appease
• assuage
• cool
• mitigate
• mollify
• pacify
• relieve
• soften