soften
verb
1 soften
Make (images or sounds) soft or softer.
Roget 834:
relieve,
ease,
alleviate,
mitigate,
palliate,
soothe;
salve;
soften,
soften down;
foment,
stupe†,
poultice;
assuage,
allay.
cheer,
comfort,
console;
enliven;
encourage,
bear up,
pat on the back,
give comfort,
set at ease;
gladden the heart,
cheer the heart;
inspirit,
invigorate.
remedy;
cure
etc.
(restore)
660;
refresh;
pour balm into,
pour oil on.
smooth the ruffled brow of care,
temper the wind to the shorn lamb,
lay the flattering unction to one's soul.
disburden
etc.
(free)
705;
take a load off one's chest,
get a load off one's chest,
take off a load of care.
be relieved;
breathe more freely,
draw a long breath;
take comfort;
dry the tears,
dry the eyes,
wipe the tears,
wipe the eyes.
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2 soften
Lessen in force or effect:
— Soften a shock.
synonyms: break, damp, dampen, weaken.
Roget 174:
be moderate
etc.
adj.;
keep within bounds,
keep within compass;
sober down,
settle down;
keep the peace,
remit,
relent,
take in sail.
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
etc.
160;
lessen
etc.
(decrease)
36;
check palliate.
tranquilize,
pacify,
assuage,
appease,
swag,
lull,
soothe,
compose,
still,
calm,
calm down,
cool,
quiet,
hush,
quell,
sober,
pacify,
tame,
damp,
lay,
allay,
rebate,
slacken,
smooth,
alleviate,
rock to sleep,
deaden,
smooth,
throw cold water on,
throw a wet blanket over,
turn off;
slake;
curb
etc.
(restrain)
751;
tame
etc.
(subjugate)
749;
smooth over;
pour oil on the waves,
pour oil on the troubled waters;
pour balm into,
mattre de l'eau dans son vin [Fr.].
go out like a lamb,
roar you as gently as any sucking dove"
[Midsummer-Night's Dream].
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3 soften
Give in, as to influence or pressure.
synonyms: relent, yield.
Roget 324:
render soft
etc.
adj.;
soften,
mollify,
mellow,
relax,
temper;
mash,
knead,
squash.
bend,
yield,
relent,
relax,
give.
plasticize'.
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Roget 914:
pity;
have pity,
show pity,
take pity
etc.
n.;
commiserate,
compassionate;
condole
etc.
915;
sympathize;
feel for,
be sorry for,
yearn for;
weep,
melt,
thaw,
enter into the feelings of.
forbear,
relent,
relax,
give quarter,
wipe the tears,
parcere subjectis [Lat.],
give a coup de gr=ace,
put out of one's misery.
raise pity,
excite pity
etc.
n.;
touch,
soften;
melt,
melt the heart;
propitiate,
disarm.
ask for mercy
etc.
v.;
supplicate
etc.
(request)
765;
cry for quarter,
beg one's life,
kneel;
deprecate.
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Dutch: oplossen, verslappen, verzachten
4 soften
5 soften
6 soften
7 soften
noun
Roget 937:
vindication,
justification,
warrant;
exoneration,
exculpation;
acquittal
etc.
970;
whitewashing.
extenuation;
palliation,
palliative;
softening,
mitigation.
reply,
defense;
recrimination
etc.
938.
apology,
gloss,
varnish;
plea
etc.
617;
salvo;
excuse,
extenuating circumstances;
allowance,
allowance to be made;
locus paenitentiae [Lat.].
apologist,
vindicator,
justifier;
defendant
etc.
938.
justifiable charge,
true bill.
v..
justify,
warrant;
be an excuse for
etc.
n.;
lend a color,
furnish a handle;
vindicate;
exculpate,
disculpate†;
acquit
etc.
970;
clear,
set right,
exonerate,
whitewash;
clear the skirts of.
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.
advocate,
defend,
plead one's cause;
stand up for,
stick up for,
speak up for;
contend for,
speak for;
bear out,
keep in countenance,
support;
plead
&c.,
617;
say in defense;
plead ignorance;
confess and avoid,
propugn†,
put in a good word for.
take the will for the deed,
make allowance for,
give credit for,
do justice to;
give one his due,
give the Devil his due.
make good;
prove the truth of,
prove one's case;
be justified by the event.
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Moby thesaurus: abate, absorb the shock, adjust to, affect, agree, allay, alleviate, allow for, alter, anesthetize, appease, assent, assuage, attemper, baffle, bank the fire, benumb, blunt, blur, box in, break the fall, castrate, chasten, circumscribe, color, come home to, concur, condition, consent, constrain, control, cushion, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, deafen, decry, defocus, demasculinize, devaluate, devalue, dim, diminish, downplay, dull, ease, ease matters, ease up, effeminate, effeminatize, effeminize, emasculate, extenuate, film, fluff, fog, foment, geld, gentle, give in, give relief, give way, gloss over, go deep, go through one, grieve, hedge, hedge about, ignore, keep within bounds, knead, laxate, lay, leaven, lenify, lessen, let up, lighten, limber, limber up, limit, loosen, lose resolution, lower, lull, make allowance for, mark down, mash, massage, mellow, melt, melt the heart, milden, mince, mist, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, move, muffle, mute, narrow, neutralize, numb, obtund, offset, pad, pale, palliate, penetrate, pierce, play down, plump, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, pulp, qualify, quell, quiet, quieten, reach, reduce, reduce the temperature, regulate by, relax, relieve, restrain, restrict, sadden, salve, season, set conditions, set limits, shake up, show consideration, show mercy, show pity, sissify, slacken, slake, slow down, slur over, smart, smash, smother, sober, sober down, soft-pedal, soften the blow, soften up, soothe, squash, stifle, still, sting, stir, stop, stupe, subdue, succumb, supple, suppress, surrender, tame, temper, tenderize, tone down, touch, touch a chord, tune down, turn down, underplay, underrate, undervalue, varnish, weaken, whitewash, womanize, write down, write off, yield ... show more.
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