Adjacent Words

Soften definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SOFTEN, v.t. sof'n.
1. To make soft or more soft; to make less hard. their arrow's point they soften in the flame.
2. To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable; to make more susceptible of humane or fine feelings; as, to soften a hard heart; to soften savage natures. The heart is softened by pity. Diffidence concilliates the proud, and softens the severe.
3. To make less harsh or severe; as, to soften an expression.
4. To palliate; to represent as less enormous; as, to soften a fault.
5. To make easy; to compose; to mitigate; to alleviate. Music can soften the pain to ease.
6. To make calm and placid. Bid her be all that cheers or softens life.
7. To make less harsh, less rude, less offensive or violent. But sweetly temper'd awe, and soften'd all be spoke.
8. To make less glaring; as, to soften the coloring of a picture.
9. To make tender; to make effeminate; to enervate; as troops softened by luxury.
10. To make less harsh or grating; as, to soften the voice.
SOFTEN, v.i. sof'n. To become less hard; to become more pliable and yielding to pressure; as, irion or wax softens in heat; fruits soften as they ripen.
2. To become less rude, harsh or cruel; as, savage natures soften by civilization.
3. To become less obstinate or obdurate; to become more susceptible of humane feelings and tenderness; to relent. The heart softens at the sight of woe.
4. To become more mild; as, the air softens.
5. To become less harsh, severe or rigorous.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make (images or sounds) soft or softer [ant: sharpen]
2: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall" [syn: dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break]
3: give in, as to influence or pressure [syn: yield, relent, soften] [ant: remain firm, stand]
4: protect from impact; "cushion the blow" [syn: cushion, buffer, soften]
5: make less severe or harsh; "He moderated his tone when the students burst out in tears" [syn: mince, soften, moderate]
6: make soft or softer; "This liquid will soften your laundry" [ant: harden, indurate]
7: become soft or softer; "The bread will soften if you pour some liquid on it" [ant: harden, indurate]

Merriam Webster's

verb (softened; softening) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to make soft or softer 2. a. to weaken the military resistance or the morale of especially by harassment (as preliminary bombardment) — often used with up b. to impair the strength or resistance of — often used with up <soften up a sales prospect> intransitive verb to become soft or softer <her face softened> • softener noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. & intr. make or become soft or softer. 2 tr. (often foll. by up) a reduce the strength of (defences) by bombing or some other preliminary attack. b reduce the resistance of (a person). Phrases and idioms: softening of the brain a morbid degeneration of the brain, esp. in old age. Derivatives: softener n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Soften Sof"ten, v. i. To become soft or softened, or less rude, harsh, severe, or obdurate.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Soften Sof"ten, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Softened; p. pr. & vb. n. Softening.] To make soft or more soft. Specifically: (a) To render less hard; -- said of matter. Their arrow's point they soften in the flame. --Gay. (b) To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable. Diffidence conciliates the proud, and softens the severe. --Rambler. (c) To palliate; to represent as less enormous; as, to soften a fault. (d) To compose; to mitigate; to assuage. Music can soften pain to ease. --Pope. (e) To make calm and placid. All that cheers or softens life. --Pope. (f) To make less harsh, less rude, less offensive, or less violent, or to render of an opposite quality. He bore his great commision in his look, But tempered awe, and softened all he spoke. --Dryden. (g) To make less glaring; to tone down; as, to soften the coloring of a picture. (h) To make tender; to make effeminate; to enervate; as, troops softened by luxury.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(softens, softening, softened) 1. If you soften something or if it softens, it becomes less hard, stiff, or firm. Soften the butter mixture in a small saucepan... Fry for about 4 minutes, until the onion has softened. VERB: V n, V 2. If one thing softens the damaging effect of another thing, it makes the effect less severe. There were also pledges to soften the impact of the subsidy cuts on the poorer regions. ...He could not think how to soften the blow of what he had to tell her. VERB: V n, V n 3. If you soften your position, if your position softens, or if you soften, you become more sympathetic and less hostile or critical towards someone or something. The letter shows no sign that the Americans have softened their position... His party's policy has softened a lot in recent years... Livy felt herself soften towards Caroline. ? harden VERB: V n, V, V 4. If your voice or expression softens or if you soften it, it becomes much more gentle and friendly. All at once, Mick's serious expression softened into a grin... She did not smile or soften her voice. VERB: V, V n 5. If you soften something such as light, a colour, or a sound, you make it less bright or harsh. Stark concrete walls have been softened by a show of fresh flowers. VERB: V n 6. Something that softens your skin makes it very smooth and pleasant to touch. ...products designed to moisturize and soften the skin. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Intenerate, melt, touch, make tender, make soft. 2. Assuage, appease, mitigate, balm, moderate, alleviate, soothe, mollify, quiet, calm, still, quell, allay, relieve, ease, abate, temper, qualify, attemper, dull, lessen, blunt, make easy. 3. Palliate, lessen, qualify, modify, varnish, extenuate. 4. Enervate, weaken, make effeminate. 5. Refine, beautify. 6. Mollify, intenerate. 7. Qualify, modify. II. v. n. 1. Grow soft, become soft. 2. Relent. 3. Grow gentle. 4. Melt, blend.

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