softener

[ saw-fuh-ner, sof-uh- ]

/ ˈsɔ fə nər, ˈsɒf ə- /

noun

Chemistry.

any admixture to a substance for promoting or increasing its softness, smoothness, or plasticity.
water softener.

a person or thing that softens.

Nearby words

softboard, softbound, softcover, soften, soften up, softener, softening of the brain, softhearted, softie, softish, softkey

Origin of softener

First recorded in 1600–10; soften + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for softener

On light-weight goods the softener giving the most general satisfaction is paraffin.
Textiles|William H. Dooley
You will note that this softener also contains a percentage of grime which lodges in the pores.
The Trap|Betsy Curtis
Yet the only softener of this man of noble granite was a spirit-like girl, who regarded the love of her womanhood as sin.
The Story of Tonty|Mary Hartwell Catherwood
But distance is a great mellower of colors and softener of fears.
The Bravo|J. Fenimore Cooper

For a softener on heavy weight goods nothing has been found superior to good beef tallow.
Textiles|William H. Dooley

British Dictionary definitions for softener

softener

/ (ˈsɒfənə) /

noun

a substance added to another substance to increase its softness, pliability, or plasticity

a substance, such as a zeolite, for softening water

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 softener

softener

c.1600, agent noun from soften.

softener

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of softener

Examples from the Web for softener

British Dictionary definitions for softener

softener

noun

Word Origin and History for softener

softener