relent
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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Obsolete. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination.
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Obsolete. to cause to slacken; abate.
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Obsolete. to abandon; relinquish.
verb
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to change one's mind about some decided course, esp a harsh one; become more mild or amenable
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(of the pace or intensity of something) to slacken
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(of the weather) to become more mild
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relentsimple
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relentssimple
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have relentedperfect
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has relentedperfect
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am relentingprogressive
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are relentingprogressive
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is relentingprogressive
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have been relentingperfect progressive
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has been relentingperfect progressive
Past
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relentedsimple
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had relentedperfect
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was relentingprogressive
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were relentingprogressive
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had been relentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relent
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin *relentāre, equivalent to Latin re- re- + lentāre to bend, derivative of lentus flexible, viscous, slow
Explanation
Being unwilling to relent is a good qualification for a sales person. You have to keep trying to make the sale and never give in until you've made it. The root of relent is the Latin lentus, which means "to slow down or soften." The original meaning, from the 15th century, most likely had to do with the heart — as in "to stop resisting love." Now, however, relent can have all manner of applications, but the meaning is always the same: to let up, soften, yield or give in. Often, you'll hear the adjective relentless used to describe someone who won't relent: "The firemen refused to relent; they banged relentlessly on the door until I woke up."
Vocabulary lists containing relent
I Am Malala
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The Breadwinner
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Twelve Days in May
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But data from last month showed apparel makers appeared to relent, as costs from the Iran war and the U.S.-led trade war pile up.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Government "won't relent in our fight against antisemitism and terror".
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
They started to relent in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a global energy crunch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Sure, I can relent that “Project Hail Mary” is less urgent than this year’s best picture winner, “One Battle After Another,” and not as hyper-specifically relevant to our times as “Eddington.”
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
Late in the night, the furor finally began to relent, replaced by more unnerving sounds.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
When he finally relents, she discovers that the invading Nazi army has razed her shtetl and that its inhabitants, including her parents, are gone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
Ishido relents to save face, but Mariko’s victory is short-lived.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024
Do you foresee a day when the Prince estate relents and you can release the musical version with his songs on it?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
I wait her out, and she relents, pulling her fingers from mine and sitting back down.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
After some back and forth, McElwee relented, letting Adrian try his slow zooms and dynamic shots.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
While Platner—whose lead in the race had evaporated after a previous wave of stories about his relationship history—has not yet relented, he has suggested that he’s reassessing his run.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
But Sinner had made up his mind and, with his parents as advocates, Piatti relented.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The president initially resisted and only relented after one of his agents threatened to drive the armored limousine—a roughly 20,000-pound vehicle known as “The Beast”—right up to the hole, the former aide said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
But after Mrs. Norkus died in 1931, Herbert’s father relented and gave his son permission to join the Hitler Youth.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Iran’s leaders aren’t showing signs of relenting despite the continued attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The relatively benign positioning outlook then allows JPMorgan to concentrate more on the fundamental momentum that shows no signs of relenting in the tech/AI space that is now broadening out into industrials and financials.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
Now, it seems, the nuclear engineers are relenting.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Amazon, seemingly confident that the price will be small, has shown no signs of relenting.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
“Oh, all right, come in, then, come in,” said Slughorn, relenting.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
