soften

[saw-fuhn, sof-uhn]

See more synonyms for soften on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make soft or softer.

verb (used without object)

to become soft or softer.

Origin of soften

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at soft, -en¹

Related formso·ver·soft·en, verbre·sof·ten, verbun·soft·en·ing, adjective

Synonyms for soften

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1. melt; mollify, mitigate, soothe, alleviate, calm, quiet, ease.

Antonyms for soften

1, 2. harden.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for soften

mitigate, thaw, abate, relax, modify, ease, lessen, lower, melt, temper, relent, lighten, alleviate, dissolve, diminish, mellow, moderate, cushion, weaken, moisten

Examples from the Web for soften

Contemporary Examples of soften

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dates to soften, about 15 minutes.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding
Carla Hall
December 28, 2014
But now, facing a tough re-election, Walker is trying to soften his rhetoric.
Women Voters Haunted by the GOP's Tricks
Sally Kohn
October 31, 2014
Russia did not only rely on Ketchum to soften its image in the West.
Confessions of a Putin Spin Doctor
Eli Lake
March 11, 2014
Indeed, after the end of a relationships, there are many reasons to turn to sex to soften the blow.
People Who Have Had Rebound Sex Tell Us Why It Is Awesome
Emily Shire
January 31, 2014
There are hints that a behind-the-scenes strategy to soften the blame put on the Portuguese is already underway.
Investigation Into Madeleine McCann Disappearance Reopened in Portugal
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 24, 2013

Historical Examples of soften

"I'll put a rubber bit in his mouth, to soften it," he pumped brokenly.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
I asked, more to soften the effect of Marvin's brutal remark than anything else.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Enough, you are happy, and I shall be so too, when God pleases to soften this blow.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
That it could soften or relent, appeared next to impossible.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
At first indeed he had hoped to soften Benedetta, and throw her into Luigi's arms.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for soften

soften

verb

to make or become soft or softer
to make or become gentler
(intr) commerce
1. (of demand, a market, etc) to weaken
2. (of a price) to fall

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

Word Origin and History for soften

late 14c., "to mitigate, diminish" (transitive), from soft (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "to make physically soft" is from 1520s; intransitive sense of "to become softer" is attested from 1610s. Soften up in military sense of "weaken defenses" is from 1940. Related: Softened; softening.