soften up en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
- To make softer.
- (broadly, idiomatic) To appease someone in order to make them more receptive to an idea or proposal.
-
To become less committed to something.
That was what Agnes thought at two o'clock in the afternoon, but by evening she had softened up some.
1994, J.A. Jance, Death of a Snowbird:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| softened up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| softened up | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| softens up | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| softening up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
to butter up (to appease someone)