1
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
three weeks of being sick in bed had noticeably softened her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to alleviate
to lessen the shock of
had tried to soften the blow of her rejection to his marriage proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of soften
The city’s proposal would soften that requirement by automatically making any area eligible if free Sunday parking goes away in that area.
—
David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Support softens considerably for deportations of all people in the country illegally, with 43% in favor and 37% opposed.
—Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Moody interiors cancel out the sunny exteriors with a dark, natural color palette softened by plenty of textured rugs and furnishings.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2025
In another era, rumors of toxicity on set would’ve been quietly addressed by teams, softened by strategy.
—Remy Blumenfeld, HollywoodReporter, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Support softens considerably for deportations of all people in the country illegally, with 43% in favor and 37% opposed.
—Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Moody interiors cancel out the sunny exteriors with a dark, natural color palette softened by plenty of textured rugs and furnishings.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2025
In another era, rumors of toxicity on set would’ve been quietly addressed by teams, softened by strategy.
—Remy Blumenfeld, HollywoodReporter, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soften
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soften
Verb
-
Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
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One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.—
Julia Angwin,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Starting the hiring process doesn’t alleviate their workload in the interim.—
Nolan Hout,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The team may want to alleviate some of his workload to help preserve his game.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Developing comprehensive health insurance schemes can mitigate financial risks associated with medical expenses and improve healthcare accessibility. 3.—
Sylvana Quader Sinha,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Bypassing the need to downlink data to ground stations scattered around the world will also mitigate security concerns, such as possible interception of data by adversary actors.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Before the war, Mr. Biden also pressured the Israeli prime minister to temper his efforts to overhaul his country’s judicial system, a plan that critics called a blatant power grab and an existential threat to Israel’s liberal democracy.—
Michael D. Shear,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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These guys can still rock, 60 years after their first top-10 hit, if a bit tempered by age.—
Greg Palkot,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, faced with restricted access to U.S. markets and weaker U.S. consumer demand, the rest of the world will look to export market diversification, trade arrangements that exclude the United States, and other approaches to buffer themselves against a looming global trade war.—
Eswar Prasad,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Apr. 2025
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The next best option is wrapping them with insulation material or old blankets to buffer temperature fluctuations and protect them from the cold.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Diversifying your supplier footprint can help cushion the blow from regional tariffs.—
David Chou,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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To their credit, the Knicks cushioned the blow and fought back, like teams of that ilk are supposed to do.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soften.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soften. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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