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softener

[ saw-fuh-ner, sof-uh- ]
/ ˈsɔ fə nər, ˈsɒf ə- /
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noun

Chemistry.
  1. any admixture to a substance for promoting or increasing its softness, smoothness, or plasticity.
  2. water softener.
a person or thing that softens.

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Origin of softener

First recorded in 1600–10; soften + -er1

Words nearby softener

soft credit inquiry, soft diet, soft drink, soft drug, soften, softener, softening of the brain, soften up, soft-finned, soft focus, soft-focus lens
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for softener

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
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