soothe

[sooth]

See more synonyms for soothe on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), soothed, sooth·ing.

to tranquilize or calm, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh: soothing someone's anger; to soothe someone with a hot drink.
to mitigate, assuage, or allay, as pain, sorrow, or doubt: to soothe sunburned skin.

verb (used without object), soothed, sooth·ing.

to exert a soothing influence; bring tranquillity, calm, ease, or comfort.

Origin of soothe

before 950; Middle English sothen to verify, Old English sōthian, equivalent to sōth sooth + -ian infinitive suffix; Modern English sense shift “to verify” > “to support (a person's statement)” > “to encourage” > “to calm”

Related formssooth·er, nounself-soothed, adjectiveun·soothed, adjective

Synonyms for soothe

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2. alleviate, appease, mollify.

Synonym study

1. See comfort, allay.

Antonyms for soothe

1. upset, roil.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for soothe

mitigate, appease, assuage, relieve, soften, alleviate, pacify, mollify, allay, cool, tranquilize, console, help, subdue, lighten, dulcify, quiet, stroke, hush, cheer

Examples from the Web for soothe

Contemporary Examples of soothe

They were desperate, and all you could do was to soothe and calm; in every call you tried to get their story, to get them talking.
Sex, Suicide, and Homework: The Secret World of the Telephone Hotline
Tim Teeman
November 20, 2014
He did not speak words meant to soothe a “fundamentalist” audience.
Love Versus the ‘Liberal Gulag’
James Poulos
April 8, 2014
“To get up and soothe is not my inclination,” says a defiant Romney.
Inside ‘Mitt,’ Netflix’s All-Access Mitt Romney Documentary
Marlow Stern
January 17, 2014
Working hard to turn heads and soothe nerves is Osmel Sousa.
What Venezuela Can Learn From Miss Universe
Mac Margolis
November 13, 2013
Or just maybe the occasional pig-out does soothe the soul and make for a happier, healthier individual.
CDC Researchers Find Lower Mortality Rates Among Overweight People
Kent Sepkowitz
January 3, 2013

Historical Examples of soothe

Milza endeavoured, in her own artless way, to soothe the distress her words had excited.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Then would Flossy be ready with her gentle drops of oil to soothe the ruffles.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Her heart hurt until her hand crept to her side in an effort to soothe it.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
The man continued to address, to expostulate, to pray, to soothe.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
She was pale and frightened; but she had no other care than to soothe him and get him away, for his own dear sake.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for soothe

soothe

verb

(tr) to make calm or tranquil
(tr) to relieve or assuage (pain, longing, etc)
(intr) to bring tranquillity or relief

Derived Formssoother, noun

Word Origin for soothe

C16 (in the sense: to mollify): from Old English sōthian to prove; related to Old Norse sanna to assert; see sooth

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 soothe

Old English soðian "show to be true," from soð "true" (see sooth). Sense of "quiet, comfort, mollify" is first recorded 1690s, via notion of "to assuage one by asserting that what he says is true" (i.e. to be a yes-man), a sense attested from 1560s (and cf. Old English gesoð "a parasite, flatterer"). Meaning "reduce the intensity" (of a pain, etc.) is from 1711. Related: Soothed; soothing.