Dictionary

soften en · VERB

Pronunciation

• sŏfʹen Canada, some US dialects
• sŏfʹen (New-Zealand)
• /ˈsɔfən/ (Australia)
• (California) audio
• /ˈsɑfən/ (Canada, US, cot-caught-merger, dialectal)
• [ˈsɔ̟fən] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈsɒfən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈsɒfən/ Canada, some US dialects
• sŏfʹen (Canada, US, cot-caught-merger, dialectal)
• /ˈsɒfən/ (New-Zealand)
• sôfʹen (Australia)
• sôfʹen (General-American)
• /ˈsɔfən/ (General-American)
• sŏfʹen (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English softenen, softnen, equivalent to soft + -en.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make something soft or softer.
   • Soften the butter before beating in the sugar.
2. (transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up).
   • Before the invasion, we softened up the enemy with the artillery.
3. (transitive) To make less harsh.
   • Having second thoughts, I softened my criticism.
   • I have recently reclad the south-west facing side of my single-storey cottage […]. I now want to plant some climbers of more manageable proportions to soften the building. 2015 February 7, Helen Yemm, “Thorny problems: How can I soften a brick wall with plants?”, in The Daily Telegraph (London), page G7:
4. (intransitive) To become soft or softer.
   • The butter softened as it warmed up.
5. (ambitransitive) To become or make (a consonant) more lenis, to lenite.
6. (qualifier:Slavic phonology) To palatalize.

Forms

Antonyms

harden

Deriveds

soften up · unsoftening · soften someone's cough · soften the blow · resoften · soften up the ground · soften the ground · unsoftened · softener · softeningly · softenable · unsoftenable · nonsoftening · presoften · oversoften

Hyponyms

sloom · thaw · melt

Relateds

soft · mollify · neshen · softness

Synonyms

soften · emolliate · temper · mollify · tenderize · subdue

Translations (109)

es macerarse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru размягчи́ть ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · bg омеквам ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · cmn 變軟 /变软 ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · pl rozmiękczyć ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es ablandarse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · mi whakangāwari ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · nmn gǃxàn ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ca estovar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · pt suavizar ((transitive) To make less harsh) · da blødgøres ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · gl suavizar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · it rendere arrendevole ((transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)) · as মজা ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es enllentecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · it rendere malleabile ((transitive) To make less harsh) · de aufweichen ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · egy g:n:n-A7 ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru размягча́ться ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · grc μαλάσσομαι ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es enllentecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · sv mjukna ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · scn arrijuncari ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · bg размеквам ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · fi pehmentyä ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · uk пом'я́кшуватися ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · it ammorbidire ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk м'я́кшати ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · pt amolecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · sq zbut ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · da blødgøre ((transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)) · ro muia ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · mi whakapē ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · tr yumuşatmak ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ru смягчи́ть ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · sv mjuka ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es enternecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · az yumşaltmaq ((transitive) To make less harsh) · pl zmiękczać ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk розм'я́кшувати ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es emblandecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es enternecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · fi pehmittää ((transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)) · tr yumuşamak ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · la mollescō ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · it ammorbidire ((transitive) To make less harsh) · ja 軟らかくなる ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · pl mięknąć ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · it addolcire ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es lentecer ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru смягча́ться ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · la molliō ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es lentecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru размягчи́ться ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · az yumşaltmaq ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · de aufweichen ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · fi pehmittää ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · cmn 軟化 /软化 ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · fr adoucir ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk пом'якши́ти ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · de weichen ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · tl lumambot ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk розм'я́кшуватися ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · bg смекчавам ((transitive) To make less harsh) · fi pehmentää ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk пом'якши́тися ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · uk розм'якши́ти ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ca ablanir ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ru смягчи́ться ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · gl amolecer ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es amelcocharse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · da blødgøre ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · pl zmiękczyć ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · io deshardeskar ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es relentecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · uk розм'якши́тися ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · mi whakangohengohe ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · gl amolegar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es emblandecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · no bløtgjøre ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · kk жұмсарту ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ja 柔らかくなる ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru смягча́ть ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · pl zmięknąć ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ro înmuia ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es ablandar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es suavizar ((transitive) To make less harsh) · uk розм'яка́ти ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es suavizar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · fi pehmittää ((transitive) To make less harsh) · az mülayimləşdirmək ((transitive) To make less harsh) · fi pehmetä ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru смягча́ть ((transitive) To make less harsh) · nl verzachten ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es reblandecerse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · it addolcire ((transitive) To make less harsh) · de weichen ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · grc μαλάσσω ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es relentecer ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es molificarse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · es reblandecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · gl amolentar ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · es suavizarse ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · it ammorbidirsi ((intransitive) To become soft or softer) · ru размягча́ть ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · uk пом'я́кшувати ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · ru смягчи́ть ((transitive) To make less harsh) · gl amolecer ((transitive) To make something soft or softer) · az yumşalmaq ((intransitive) To become soft or softer)