1
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
three weeks of being sick in bed had noticeably softened her
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of soften
The softening tone toward conservative and alternative media comes after Republicans embraced the platforms, with Trump particularly using podcasts and similar venues to help fuel his victory on Election Day.
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Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Dec. 2024
The new year begins with Venus gliding into Pisces on Jan. 2, a zodiac sign where the love planet exalts and thrives, softening the ambiance with a touch of whimsical romance and boundless empathy.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The care the wizard takes in cooking the simple breakfast, even making sure the fire is literally fed, instantly softens Sophie and the audience to the illusive character.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
For one, Trump’s relative disinterest in ideological issues may soften some of the edges of the rivalry with Beijing.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for soften 
Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Dec. 2024
The new year begins with Venus gliding into Pisces on Jan. 2, a zodiac sign where the love planet exalts and thrives, softening the ambiance with a touch of whimsical romance and boundless empathy.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The care the wizard takes in cooking the simple breakfast, even making sure the fire is literally fed, instantly softens Sophie and the audience to the illusive character.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
For one, Trump’s relative disinterest in ideological issues may soften some of the edges of the rivalry with Beijing.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for soften
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soften
Verb
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Elon Musk, one of Trump’s confidants, has already met with Iran’s UN ambassador; now that Israel has weakened Tehran and pummeled its proxies in the Middle East, a diplomatic breakthrough may be achievable.Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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The widening yield differentials between Chinese and U.S. sovereign bonds could risk encouraging capital outflows and put further pressure on the yuan that has been weakening against the greenback.Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The New Orleans Pelicans have dealt with so many injuries that their disastrous season has left them out of the mix and alleviated some of that traffic jam in the standings.Zach Harper, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
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But have no fear: To alleviate your Spidey withdrawal, the Marvel multiverse is expanding one more time.Shania Russell, EW.com, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
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To mitigate this, consider: Spreading withdrawals over multiple years to decrease the tax bite.James Brewer, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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The quarterback movement also helps mitigate the offensive line protection issues by getting Stroud away from rushers by design.Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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However, talks of the abrupt split were tempered after Punch re-shared an X post projecting SOS to reclaim the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 with 170,000 units sold this past Friday (Dec. 27).Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
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Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Google’s blowout earnings report in April, which sparked the biggest rally in Alphabet shares since 2015 and pushed its market cap past $2 trillion for the first time, tempered fear that the company was falling behind in artificial intelligence.Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Amazon’s contracts with the U.S. Postal Service and UPS may buffer its operations for now.Melissa Noel, Essence, 20 Dec. 2024
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Specifically, their ratio theory suggests that for every negative interaction a couple has, there should be at least five positive interactions to buffer these effects.Mark Travers, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Amniotic fluid helps cushion the baby and is something the baby actually continually replenishes in a process that is similar to urination, explains Dr. Grace Johnson, a maternal fetal medicine doctor at Texas Children's Hospital in Austin.Nicole Villalpando, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024
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Increase in money supply to cushion the impact of lockdowns led to high demand for goods; producers unable to match up.Trefis Team, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Soften.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soften. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
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