soothe

[ sooth ]

/ suð /

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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.

Nearby words

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”

SYNONYMS FOR soothe

2. alleviate, appease, mollify.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soothe ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR soothe

1. upset, roil.

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

Synonym study

1. See comfort, allay.

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
He did not speak words meant to soothe a “fundamentalist” audience.
Love Versus the ‘Liberal Gulag’|James Poulos|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST
Working hard to turn heads and soothe nerves is Osmel Sousa.
What Venezuela Can Learn From Miss Universe|Mac Margolis|November 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Gladly would they do anything in their power to soothe and encourage them.
The Expositor's Bible: The First Book of Samuel|W. G. Blaikie
"You can do nothing, Corrie," said Henry, trying to soothe him.
Gascoyne, The Sandal Wood Trader|R. M. Ballantyne
These verses from Scripture, repeated as they were by my aged grandmother had the effect to soothe my mind.
Walter Harland|Harriet S. Caswell
But that didn't seem to soothe him any, and he quavered out he would be better where he was.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas|Lloyd Osbourne
It was the voice of Hamish that sometimes had the power to soothe to quietness, if not to repose, the ever-moaning sufferer.
Shenac's Work at Home|Margaret Murray Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for soothe

soothe

/ (suːð) /

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

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.