Soften

Definition: Soften

Soften

Verb

1. Make soft or softer; of images and sounds.

2. Lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall".

3. Give in, as to influence or pressure.

4. Protect from impact; "cushion the blow".

5. Make less severe or harsh; "He moderated his tone when the students burst out in tears".

6. Make soft or softer; "This liquid will soften your laundry".

7. Become soft or softer; "The bread will soften if you pour some liquid on it".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "soften" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Note: Soften \Sof"ten\, transitive verb. [imperfect & past participle. Softened; Softening.]. (references)

Mining

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Soften

Moderation

Moderate, soften, mitigate, temper, accoy; attemper, contemper; mollify, lenify, dulcify, dull, take off the edge, blunt, obtund, sheathe, subdue, chasten; sober down, tone down, smooth down; weaken; lessen; (decrease); check palliate.

Pity

Raise pity, excite pity; n.; touch, soften; melt, melt the heart; propitiate, disarm.

Relief

Verb: relieve, ease, alleviate, mitigate, palliate, soothe; salve; soften, soften down; foment, stupe, poultice; assuage, allay.

Softness

Verb: render -soft. Adjective: soften, mollify, mellow, relax, temper; mash, knead, squash.

Vindication

Extenuate, palliate, excuse, soften, apologize, varnish, slur, gloze; put a gloss, put a good face upon; mince; gloss over, bolster up, help a lame dog over a stile.

Crosswords: Soften

I soaked it in the toilet to soften it up. (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Curves Unlimited: Expanding the Curved Two-Patch System to Soften Shapes and Create New Patterns (reference)

• Identification of Rcra-Related Substances: How to Determine If Your Company Is Handling a Hazardous Waste and Possible Ways to Soften the Blow (reference)

• Soften the Storm (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Begged me "to soften asperities". Credit: Library of Congress.

Colonel, Cliff hopes this bride-kissing keeps up -- it seems to soften one up so!. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Soften it as they would, their hearts were lighter

Ford would continue to smile at it, his eyes would soften and shine, and he would seem to radiate a deep and universal love, a love which reached out to embrace all of creation

Anything less than the first would have failed to soften the second

There are no contraries or admixtures of any kind to temper or soften in the least the pains of hell

The purple prunes soften and sweeten

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Use lotion or oil to soften and heal your skin if it becomes dry and cracked. (references)

Sometimes a child may need an enema to remove the stool or a laxative to soften it or prevent a future episode. (references)

Some changes in eating habits may be necessary too. Your child should eat more high-fiber foods to soften stool, avoid dairy products if they cause constipation, and drink plenty of fluids every day, including water and juices like prune, grape, or apricot, which help prevent constipation. (references)

Economic History

Netherlands

For 2001 and 2002, Dutch ICT output growth is forecast to soften to just ten percent. (references)

Canada

Consumer price inflation should remain in the upper end of the Bank of Canada's 1-3 percent target band in 2001 and 2002, despite ongoing declines in Canadian interest rates to soften the medium-term impact of the US slowdown on the Canadian economy. (references)

Trade

Philippines

The government intended to soften the impact of successive petroleum price increases on the prices of basic commodities and services. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expression using "soften": soften up. Additional references.

Beginning with "soften": soften-up.

Afrikaans

week (soak, soften up). (various references)

Albanian

zbut (allay, amortise, amortize, appease, assuage, attenuate, break, calm, chasten, commute, daunt, disarm, ease, extenuate, malaxate, manage, melt, mince, mitigate, moderate, modify, mollify, palatalize, palliate, propitiate, qualify, reclaim, relax, relieve, smooth, soothe, subdue, tame, temper, tenderize, tone down), zbuset, zbus (allay, amortise, amortize, assuage, attenuate, break, calm, calm down, domesticate, ease, macerate, propitiate, relax), qetësoj (allay, appease, assuage, balsam, becalm, calm, calm down, comfort, conciliate, cool down, ease, gentle, hush, lull, mollify, pacificate, pacify, palliate, placate, propitiate, quiet, quieten, reassure, relieve, salve, settle, soothe, tranquilize, tranquillize), lehtësoj (allay, alleviate, assuage, attenuate, calm, dull, enable, extenuate, facilitate, lighten, mitigate, palliate, relax, release, relieve, shake, solace, soothe). (various references)

Arabic 

‏لين (clemency, ductile, elastic, flabbiness, flabby, flaccid, flaccidity, flexible, gentleness, lax, laxity, lenience, leniency, limp, limpness, loose, make flexible, make soft, make tender, malleable, manageable, mellow, mildness, moderate, plastic, plasticize, pliable, pliant, resilient, soft, supple, temper, tender, yielding), ‏لطف (affableness, allay, alleviate, amenity, amiability, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, benignity, civility, courtesy, ease, extenuate, friendliness, geniality, gentleness, kindness, lighten, mildness, mitigate, moderate, modify, mollify, palliate, politeness, qualify, quell, relax, relieve, smooth, softness, soothe, suavity, sweeten, temper, tone down, urbanity), ‏طرى (applaud, approve, baste, commend, compliment, crack, dress, flatter, flattering, puff, refresh, salute, supple, tender), ‏خفف وهج النور, ‏خفض الصوت, ‏خفض الأسعار (deflate, price down, slash), ‏خنس, ‏أضعف (attenuate, break, debilitate, decay, decline, depress, detach, diminish, disable, emaciate, emasculate, enervate, enfeeble, fade, geld, hone, hurt, impair, incapacitate, invalidate, jellify, languish, lose weight, macerate, neutralize, pall, perish, reduce, run down, sag, sap, shorten, sink, slacken, slake, subside, thin, waste, weaken). (various references)

Bulgarian 

смекчавам (break down, chastise, correct, cushion, extenuate, humanize, lighten, melt, mince, mitigate, moderate, modify, mollify, palliate, qualify, quiet, retouch, season, smooth out, subdue, tame, temper, turn, water down), размеквам, омекчавам (macerate), омеквам (become soft, give, mellow, melt, relent, unbend), намалявам съпротивата на. (various references)

Chinese 

變軟 , 軟化 , 变柔和 (softened, softening). (various references)

Czech

ztlumit (cushion, damp down, deaden, dim, dip, hush, tone down, turn down), ztišit (quieten, soothe), zmírnit (allay, alleviate, break, cushion, deaden, defuse, dilute, ease, extenuate, loosen, mitigate, palliate, relieve, remit, slacken, smooth, soothe, subdue, temper, tone down, understate), zmìknout, zmìkèit (malaxate), zjemnit (rarefy, refine). (various references)

Dutch

weekmaken (soak, soften up). (various references)

Esperanto

moligi (soften up), cedigi (soften up). (various references)

Farsi 

فرونشاندن (Appease, Calm, Curb, Extinguish, Infix, Lull, Pacify, Quash, Quell, Quench, Relieve, Remit, Repress, Sate, Slack, Stanch, Stifle, Suppress, Tranquilize), ملایم کردن (Gentle, Modulate, Sweeten, Temper), نرم کردن (Humanize, Jellify, Levigate, Loosen, Mash, Masticate, Modulate, Plasticize, Pulverize), نرم شدن (Relent, Supple), کم کردن (Alleviate, Bate, Cut, Deduce, Deduct, Detract, Drawoff, Extenuate, Rebate, Reduce, Relax, Retrench, Shade, Subtract, Thin, Weaken), کاستن (Abate, Decline, Decrease, Detract, Discount, Drawoff, Lessen, Lighten, Pare, Rebate, Shorten, Subtract), خوابانیدن (Couch), اهسته ترکردن , از (Avarice, Avidity, By, Greed, In, Of, Rapacity), شیرین کردن (Candy, Sugar, Sweeten). (various references)

Finnish

pehmittää (beat, lick), pehmitä, pehmetä (become soft, relent), pehmentää (make soft), lauhtua (be appeased, relent), heltyä (relent), hellyttää (make . . relent). (various references)

French

ramollir. (various references)

German

mildern (alleviate, calm, deaden, ease, mellow, mitigate, moderate, palliate, reduce, relieve, softening, soothe, temper, to alleviate, to soften), erweichen (melt, soften up, softening), aufweichen (be weakened, become sodden, get soft, macerate, make sodden, make soft, soak, to soften, water down, weaken). (various references)

Greek 

μαλακώνω (placate, relent, smooth, soothe, temper). (various references)

Hebrew 

למוג (dissolve, melt, squeeze), למזמז (dissipate, dwindle, flirt, neck), להתרכך (relent), לרכך (mollify, temper), לרטות (extract, hand over). (various references)

Hungarian

puhít (buff, tenderize, to buff, to soften, to soften up), lágyul (to mellow, to soften), enyhül (let up, solace, to abate, to ease, to ease up, to let up, to moderate, to remit, to soften, to thaw). (various references)

Indonesian

meringankan (alleviate, demoicent, lighten). (various references)

Italian

rammollire. (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

和らぐ (to be mitigated, to calm down, to soften). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ごきをよわめる (to soften one's voice), やわらげる (to moderate, to relieve, to soften), やわらぐ (to be mitigated, to calm down, to soften). (various references)

Korean 

연화하십시요. (various references)

Manx

meelaghey (appease, appeasement, mangle, moisten, moistening, palliate, palliative), meeinaghey (abate; amelioration, abatement, allay, alleviate, alleviation, assuagement, domestication, moderate, tame, taming), lheie (assimilation, blow, blow of fuse, blow out, blowing, digest, disappear, dissipate, dissipation, dissolution, dissolve, fuse, liquefaction, liquefy; digestion, melting, smelt, smelting), chymmaghey, boggaghey (aspirate, dissolve, ease, elide, elision, macerate, maceration, moisten, push off, relax, relaxation, steep, tone down), boggagh (steep). (various references)

Maya

olbankuunt (to soften). (various references)

Papiamen

molia (soften up). (various references)

Pig Latin

oftensay.(various references)

Portuguese

amolecer (enervate, macerate, rait, ret, season), abrandar (appease, attemper, calm down, deaden, decelerate, dilute, diminish, ease, extenuate, fall, flatten, mellow, mitigate, moderate, modify, mutate, pass off, quiet, reduce, relax, relent, relieve, season, slacken, slake, soothe, unbend, unbrace, voice). (various references)

Romanian

se înduioşa (relent), se potoli (abate, burn down, calm, dampen, die away, fall, flatten, lull, quiet, remit, settle, smooth down, subside), se moleşi (flag), se domoli (abate, ease, flatten, lull, quiet down, relent, slacken, swoon), se atenua (abate, dull), se înmuia (relent, sop, sponge), se îndulci, slãbi (abate, attenuate, Bate, crock, debilitate, depauperate, diminish, drain, droop, dull, ease, emaciate, emasculate, enfeeble, extenuate, fade, fail, flag, go down, grow weak, impair, languish, let, loosen, lose flesh, lose weight, macerate, mine, peak and pine, pinch, pull down, reduce, relax, sap, sink, slack, slacken, slenderize, slim, subdue, subside, take the edge off, thin, undermine, weaken), înmuia (dabble, dip, drench, immerse, mellow, melt, poach, relent, ret, soak, steep, unbend), adormi (allay, alleviate, assuage, cheat, delude, die, drop asleep, drop off, fall asleep, go to sleep, hoodwink, knock out, lull, narcotize, rock, soothe), atenua (abate, alleviate, attenuate, dilute, diminish, dull, extenuate, gloze, mellow, reduce, subdue, subjugate, tone down, water down), calma (allay, appease, becalm, calm, chasten, compose, ease, kill, mollify, pacify, quiet, salve, settle, smooth, smooth down, sober, soothe, steady, still, temper, tranquillize), domoli (allay, appease, assuage, calm, lighten, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, quiet, reassure, remit, soothe), moleşi (emasculate, enervate, weaken), îndulci (alleviate, break, delight, dulcify, mellow, modify, palliate, satisfy, smooth, sugar, sweeten, tame), ramoli, rablagi (deteriorate). (various references)

Russian 

смягчать (assuage, attenuate, commute, damp, extenuate, mellow, melt, mitigate, moderate, mollify, palatalize, palliate, relax, remit, soft pedal, subdue, tone down). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

smekšati (become soft, macerate, tenderize), ublažiti (alleviate, attemper, become tempered, buff, cushion, dull, ease, lessen, mince, mitigate, moderate, mollify, palliate, redeem, soft pedal, soothe, temper, tone down), razmekšati, raskvasiti (leach). (various references)

Spanish

ablandar (blandish, melt). (various references)

Swedish

mjukna (relent, wilt), avhärda. (various references)

Thai

อ่อนนุ่มลง, ทำให้อ่อนนุ่ม. (various references)

Turkish

sindirmek (assimilate, cow, damp, digest, Hector, overawe, stand for, stomach), zayıflatmak (cripple, damp down, debilitate, emaciate, emasculate, enervate, evirate, fade, impair, impoverish, reduce, slim, thin down, thin of, thin out, weaken, wear away, wear down), yumuşatmak (attemper, chasten, dulcify, limber up, loosen, mellow, melt, moderate, mollify, mute, relax, season, shake up, smooth, soft pedal, supple, tame, unbend, unman), yumuşamak (let loose, let upon, limber up, mellow, melt, moderate, relax, relent, sweeten, unbend), yatıştırmak (abate, allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, attemper, becalm, calm, comfort, compose, conciliate, defuse, disarm, ease, hush, lull, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, quell, quiet, quieten, remit, salve, sedate, settle, smooth down, smother up, soothe, still, tranquilize, tranquillize), kısmak (abridge, attenuate, ax, axe, check, choke, choke back, choke off, curtail, cut back, cut down on, depress, diminish, draw in, economize, narrow, pare, pare down, pinch, put down, qualify, reduce, retrench, scrimp, skimp, stint, throttle, throttle down, tighten, turn down), gevşemek (come loose, come unstuck, cool down, ease off, fade, flag, get loose, go limp, languish, let go, let up, let upon, loosen, relax, slack, slack off, slacken, unbend, unbrace oneself, unwind, work loose), gönlünü almak (appease, blandish, coax, conciliate, mollify, placate, propitiate). (various references)

Turkmen 

яumюamak (loosen). (various references)

Ukrainian

розм'якнути, заспокоюватися (abate, calm down, hush, pacify, settle down, simmer down, still, tranquilize, tranquillize), заспокоювати (appease, assuage, assure, becalm, calm, comfort, conciliate, cool down, ease, lull, mollify, plaster, propitiate, quell, quiet, quieten, relieve, salve, satisfy, smooth, soothe, still, tranquilize, tranquillize), пом'якшуватися (ease off, ease up, milden, relent, temper, unbend), пом'якшувати (allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, attenuate, dulcify, expurgate, gentle, milden, mitigate, modify, mollify, palatalize, rebate, remit, smooth, smooth over, soft pedal, soothe, tone down). (various references)

Welsh

ystwytho (bend, flex, make flexible), tyneru (make tender), nawseiddio (temper), meddalu, lleddfu (allay, assuage, flatten, soothe), esmwytho (alleviate, ease, soothe). (various references)

emollitum, flectamus, flectat, flectebant, flectebat, flectebatur, flecteret, flecteris, flectet, flectetur, flectitur, flecto, flexis, flexo, flexuram, flexus, mansuetabatur, mitigasti, mitigat, mitigationis, mitigavit, mitiges, mollis, molliti, mollivit. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "soften": softened, softener, softeners, softening, softens. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Soften" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: osten, safen, Scotgen, sfen, siftn, Sifton, sofet, soffte, Sofitel, softee, softent, softing, Softone, sotin, sotun, Sowton. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: fonts, notes, often, onset, seton, steno, stone, tones.

-2 letters: efts, eons, fens, fets, foes, fons, font, nest, nets, noes, nose, note, ones, sent, snot, soft, sone, tens, toes, tone, tons.

-3 letters: efs, eft, ens, eon, fen, fet, foe, fon, net, nos, not, oes, oft, one, ons, ose, sen, set, son, sot, ten, toe.

+1 letter: eftsoon, festoon, foments, fondest, frontes, softens.

+2 letters: confects, confutes, eftsoons, felstone, festoons, fistnote, forspent, fortunes, notifies, oftenest, refronts, seafront, softened, softener, softness, songfest, stonefly, tenfolds.

+3 letters: conflates, confuters, falconets, felstones, fenthions, festooned, fetations, firestone, fistnotes, flagstone, flections, flowstone, fomenters, fontanels, footnotes, footstone, foresting, fostering, fourteens, freestone, frontages, frontiers, frontless, frontlets, halftones, infectors, introfies, loftiness, manifesto, notifiers, pantofles, seafronts, softeners, softening, songfests, stonefish, sulfonate.