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”; see origin at sooth

Compare meaning

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

• sooth vs. soothe

Explanation

To soothe is to relieve or to bring comfort. If the pounding in your head is driving you mad, it sounds like you might need an aspirin or two to soothe your headache. Soothing is meant to make you feel better, both physically and emotionally. Spend too many hours on the beach without sunblock? You'll need some aloe to soothe that sunburn. Had a bad breakup with a boyfriend? Soothing that broken heart might take something stronger — chocolates, a gabfest with good friends, and sappy movies are usually just what the doctor ordered.

Example Sentences

But life would be simpler if investors could count on interest-rate cuts to soothe fears about the cost of borrowing.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

More important, he appeared to soothe their son and heir, Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Hopes that diplomacy might continue helped soothe oil markets, pushing benchmark prices below $100 on Tuesday.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Fortunately for Democrats, Donald Trump has stepped in to soothe their nerves.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

But she was kind and patient, and she knew how to soothe a fevered brow with a cool cloth as well as anyone.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

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