soften
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to make or become soft or softer
-
to make or become gentler
-
(intr) commerce
-
(of demand, a market, etc) to weaken
-
(of a price) to fall
-
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of soften
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at soft, -en 1
Explanation
To soften is to make something soft, or to become soft. A stick of butter will soften after sitting on the counter for an hour—or you can soften it by squishing it with a wooden spoon. You can literally soften things, the way a sculptor softens clay or you soften the skin on your hands with lotion. Turning down the sound is another way to soften something: "I'll soften the radio so it doesn't keep you awake." When you make something gentler or less severe, you also soften it, like when a lawmaker tries to soften the effect of a law by proposing a tax cut in return.
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.
They rise when Americans feel secure enough financially, and soften when families are under duress.
From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026
I let everything slump and soften before transferring the mixture to my mini blender for a quick blitz into a pale orange, velvet-like base.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
After parents' and employers' associations objected, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum appeared to soften the announcement, describing it as a "proposal".
From BBC • May 9, 2026
This was the same line of argument she’d taken a million times at Fox News, and she just couldn’t soften it for NBC.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
Silly jokes were not going to soften me up.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
