softener
Americannoun
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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:
He then adds vinegar to save on additives like softener.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
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
And, as an added bonus, the room smelled like liquid detergent and fabric softener.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Ion exchange resin is the same technology found in many home water softeners.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024
Neither did double the amount of stool softeners relieve me.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
DLE technologies are comparable to common household water softeners, which remove metals from drinking water.
From Reuters ● Oct. 7, 2021
Cascade’s website says its dishwasher packs are formulated with water softeners to help prevent hard water deposits on your dishes and, in many cases, eliminate the need for a rinse aid.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 13, 2020
Then the softeners are added, such as soaps, oils, and animal fats; next a small amount of gelatine or glue is stirred in and some form of preservative, usually chloride of zinc or salicylic acid.
From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by Dooley, William H. (William Henry)
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.
