soften
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to make something soft, or to become soft yourself.
to make something soft or softer in texture; also used intransitively to describe a substance becoming less firm.
Simple“Leave the butter on the counter for an hour to soften before you start baking.”
In context“The clay began to soften as the potter worked it with warm water, eventually reaching the perfect consistency for the wheel.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to make a sound, light, or a person's attitude less strong or unkind.
to moderate the intensity or severity of something, such as a light, a sound, or a person's emotional stance.
Simple“He tried to soften his voice so he wouldn't wake the sleeping baby.”
In context“The government attempted to soften the impact of the new tax by introducing several exemptions for low-income families.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to make someone less determined or less likely to fight back.
to weaken the morale or physical resistance of an opponent, often as a preliminary to a main attack or negotiation.
Simple“The lawyers tried to soften up the witness with friendly questions before asking the difficult ones.”
In context“Heavy artillery was used to soften the enemy's defences before the infantry began their final advancement toward the city.”
Usageoften used in the phrasal form 'soften up'
Antonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
to change how a letter is pronounced so it sounds smoother.
to undergo lenition or palatalization; to change a consonant from a fortis to a lenis articulation.
Simple“In some languages, the 'k' sound softens to a 'ch' sound over time.”
In context“The historical linguist explained how the intervocalic plosives began to soften, eventually leading to the distinct phonetic shifts observed in the daughter languages.”
Synonymslenitepalatalize
From Middle English softenen, softnen, equivalent to soft + -en.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.