relent
Americanverb (used without object)
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relents,
present (3rd person singular)
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relented,
past participle, past
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relenting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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relents,
present (3rd person singular)
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relented,
past participle, past
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relenting
present participle
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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
The Breadwinner
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I Am Malala
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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:
The heat is expected to relent by the weekend with temperatures in the mid-80s and even a chance of light showers on Sunday as Hurricane Rachel continues its path across the Pacific Ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
"I kept holding on to the idea that they'd see the truth - they'd realise this was their grandchild, and they'd relent."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
There appears to be little incentive for either side to relent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
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
Then surely the High King would relent and put the crown on the head of the prince with the most power, the one with the military on his side.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
The tires’ screechy chatter only relents as the car picks up momentum in second gear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
One agent blocks one of the men helping Parias by the car door, but quickly relents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
But she relents, realizing Gabriel is the only genuine human relationship she has.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2024
No, she doesn’t want to take us around the house, because she already explained everything to the office on the phone, but Maddy stands there, with Rosalie and me behind her, until she relents.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
But once Fury relented, organisers needed to find a British venue capable of satisfying the broadcast demands without leaving fans exposed to the British winter.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Then, it relented, acknowledging the passage didn’t exist and telling Turkle: “Oh, you are a tenacious and rigorous researcher.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
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
Finally, Mama relented, but she insisted Pedrito and Patria go along to take care of me, and Jaimito and Dedd go to make sure Patria and Pedrito did their job.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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
But this has been a challenging season for Newcastle and it shows no signs of relenting.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
Some scuffles ensued as USC security officers attempted to dismantle the encampment before relenting under pressure from crowds chanting “shame.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Then days and months grew full and waned, the year went wheeling round, the seasons came again, before at last the power of Iphiklos, relenting, freed the prisoner, who foretold all things to him.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
