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 soothed

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 soothed

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of soothed

I was so disappointed and hurt and heartsick, and he kissed me and soothed me.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
It was sultry, and there was something in the atmosphere that at once threatened and soothed.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Be soothed, my son; I meant not to tear the bandage from thy wounds.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The gentle August night had cooled and soothed the dusty atmosphere.
The Slave Of The Lamp
Henry Seton Merriman
"Sweetheart, you mustn't fret," she soothed, in motherly fashion.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for soothed

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 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.