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soothing

[soo-th ing]
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adjective
  1. that soothes: a soothing voice.
  2. tending to assuage pain: a soothing cough syrup.
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Origin of soothing

First recorded in 1590–1600; soothe + -ing2
Related formssooth·ing·ly, adverbsooth·ing·ness, nouno·ver·sooth·ing, adjectiveo·ver·sooth·ing·ly, adverbself-sooth·ing, adjectiveun·sooth·ing, adjectiveun·sooth·ing·ly, adverb

soothe

[sooth]
verb (used with object), soothed, sooth·ing.
  1. 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.
  2. to mitigate, assuage, or allay, as pain, sorrow, or doubt: to soothe sunburned skin.
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verb (used without object), soothed, sooth·ing.
  1. to exert a soothing influence; bring tranquillity, calm, ease, or comfort.
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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

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2. alleviate, appease, mollify.

Synonym study

1. See comfort, allay.

Antonyms

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

Related Words

calmingreassuringrelievingrelaxingconsolingalleviatingeasingremedyingwarmingconsolatorypalliative

Examples from the Web for soothing

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • In low and soothing tones, the maiden inquired, "Where did we go, Paralus?"

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • A still, pale fog is soothing; it lulls nature to a kind of repose.

    Malbone

    Thomas Wentworth Higginson

  • The girls were soothing me and fussing over me when Aunt Frank opened the door.

  • I am glad that there is soothing in these dried leaves for those who require it.

    Her Father's Daughter

    Gene Stratton-Porter

  • It was soothing to his eyes, so used to the darkness of the Nibelungs' cavern.

British Dictionary definitions for soothing

soothing

adjective
  1. having a calming, assuaging, or relieving effect
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Derived Formssoothingly, adverbsoothingness, noun

soothe

verb
  1. (tr) to make calm or tranquil
  2. (tr) to relieve or assuage (pain, longing, etc)
  3. (intr) to bring tranquillity or relief
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Derived Formssoother, noun

Word Origin

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 soothing

adj.

1590s, "flattering," from present participle of soothe. Sense of "mollifying" is from 1746. Related: Soothingly.

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soothe

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper