relent

[ ri-lent ]

/ rɪˈlɛnt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: relent / relented / relenting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving.

to become less severe; slacken: The winds relented.

verb (used with object)

Obsolete. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination.

Obsolete. to cause to slacken; abate.

Obsolete. to abandon; relinquish.

OTHER WORDS FOR relent

1 bend, yield.

See synonyms for relent on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of relent

1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin *relentāre, equivalent to Latin re-re- + lentāre to bend, derivative of lentus flexible, viscous, slow

OTHER WORDS FROM relent

re·lent·ing·ly, adverbnon·re·lent·ing, adjectiveun·re·lent·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use relent in a sentence

Democrats had been pushing for the change, and Republicans, who had been opposed, relented after Chafin’s death.
Northam calls for end to death penalty, addressing racial inequity as lawmakers return to Richmond|Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
It wasn’t until the race’s final months — “unwillingly and only under severe pressure” from his campaign managers, as one newspaper story put it — that he relented and installed one at his farm near Germantown.
The strange, one-of-a-kind political campaign that almost landed Walter Johnson in Congress|Frederic J. Frommer|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Democrats initially resisted on grounds that the hearing was politically charged — and too close to the election — though they later relented.
Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs clash with Congress in pre-election showdown|Tony Romm, Rachel Lerman, Cat Zakrzewski, Heather Kelly, Elizabeth Dwoskin|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
Rudin initially relented, but eventually pulled out of the project after a long list of directors also declined.
Rupert Everett reminds us homophobia persists in Hollywood|John Paul King|October 10, 2020|Washington Blade

During a stretch of big trail efforts this summer, I finally relented and felt no embarrassment—only comfort, satiation, and hydration.
The Gear Our Editors Loved in September|The Editors|October 4, 2020|Outside Online
For an instant she stood and looked at her husband, in what might have been relenting or anticipation of the road she had to take.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
No relenting on the part of the Rebels, but savage, infuriate joy at the sight of the warm heart's blood of their victims!
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
Is there no pity, no relenting ruth, Points to the parents fondling o'er their child?
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886|Ministry of Education
The boys came rather sheepishly to see him off; but he would make no show of relenting.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
The strangest thing of all to me,” Mrs. Halliday declared, “is his relenting toward his daughter after all these years.
A Bookful of Girls|Anna Fuller

British Dictionary definitions for relent

relent

/ (rɪˈlɛnt) /

verb (intr)

to change one's mind about some decided course, esp a harsh one; become more mild or amenable

(of the pace or intensity of something) to slacken

(of the weather) to become more mild

Word Origin for relent

C14: from re- + Latin lentāre to bend, from lentus flexible, tenacious

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

relent

OTHER WORDS FOR relent

Origin of relent

OTHER WORDS FROM relent

Words related to relent

How to use relent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for relent

Word Origin for relent