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 soothed

Her brown-velvet eyes often soothed me, although her eyebrows added to her every demand: “I mean business!”
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I also believe the relative quiet on the Palestinian front has soothed Israelis.
Israel 2013 Is Not Bibi’s Israel|Gil Troy|January 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She was overcome with guilt, and as she soothed me, she promised herself no harm would ever come to me again.
Will Fawzia Koofi Be Afghanistan's First Female President?|Fawzia Koofi|January 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But a mere nine months is clearly not enough time to have healed his wounds or soothed his anger.
Michael Steele Blasts GOP Enemies|Lloyd Grove|October 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The singing unnerved Butch as well, but he managed to sit still with his eyes closed, as if soothed by the words and music.
John Grisham's First Short Story: Part Two|John Grisham|October 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The wonder is that so many fierce antagonisms can be soothed even into an outward quiet.
A New Atmosphere|Gail Hamilton
The lurking sadness in the air just touched and soothed the lurking sadness in Di's mind.
Diana Tempest, Volume II (of 3)|Mary Cholmondeley
He dragged an arm-chair into the garden, and finally went to sleep under the star-lit sky, soothed by the presence of the flowers.
August Strindberg, the Spirit of Revolt|L. (Lizzy) Lind-af-Hageby
The doer must suffer,” said the Greeks: “you would soothe a Deity not to be soothed.
The Voice of Science in Nineteenth-Century Literature|Various
He took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow; it soothed his burning temples to let the breeze fan them.
Timar's Two Worlds|Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for soothed

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 soothed

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.