softener
Americannoun
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softeners
plural
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Chemistry.
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any admixture to a substance for promoting or increasing its softness, smoothness, or plasticity.
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a person or thing that softens.
noun
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a substance added to another substance to increase its softness, pliability, or plasticity
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a substance, such as a zeolite, for softening water
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of softener
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:
Cabs can now smell like Axe body spray, a Dunkin’ latte or Downy fabric softener.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
She’d never planned to do TV or film, but when an advertising executive approached her one night after she’d performed an ensemble role in “Gypsy,” she soon booked TV ads for fabric softener and diapers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2024
Laundry detergent, fabric softener, fabric shampoo and conditioners and other cleaning products from the brand produced between January 2021 and September 2022 were recalled, the U.S.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2022
I reached out to the company that installed our water softener and purification system.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2022
From the side, I can see her complexion is the color of fabric softener, a flat milky blue.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
These include PFAS—or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—to repel water and stains, formaldehyde-releasing resins to resist wrinkles, biocides to control odor, silicone softeners and dyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ion exchange resin is the same technology found in many home water softeners.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024
Every day in the hospital, the nurses plied me with stool softeners which, unfortunately, failed to move me.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
Avoid using more detergent than recommended, cut back on fabric softeners and occasionally run a wash cycle on hot.
From Washington Post ● May 23, 2022
I have visited the sick a good deal in my time, and have ever found that a serious illness is one of the greatest softeners of a rugged nature.
From Friends I Have Made by George Manville Fenn
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