Dictionary

soothe en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /suːð/

Etymology

From Middle English sothen (“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English sōþian (“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-West Germanic *sanþōn, from Proto-Germanic *sanþōną (“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Cognate with Danish sande (“to verify”), Swedish sanna (“to verify”), Icelandic sanna (“to verify”). See also sooth. Displaced Old English frēfran, ġefrēfran (“to comfort, console, soothe”), and partially displaced Old English stillan, ġestillan (“to calm, become calm, pacify, quieten”) (whence modern still). The semantic evolution of "to verify, prove the validity of" → "to comfort" (first attested in the late 17th century) comes from the notion of assuaging someone by supporting the truth of what they say.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
   • Muſick has Charms to ſooth a ſavage Breaſt, To ſoften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak. 1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 1:
   • Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, to soothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job. 2013 October 11, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian:
2. (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
3. (rare, transitive) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
4. (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
5. (transitive) To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
   • I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day I am a cider drinker, it soothes all me troubles away 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker:
6. (intransitive) To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
7. (intransitive) To bring comfort or relief.
8. (transitive) To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
9. (obsolete, transitive) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
10. (obsolete, transitive) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
11. (obsolete, transitive) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.
    • To be ſhort, a wretched and curſed generation they be; hypocrites, pretending friendſhip, but they can not skill of plaine dealing and franke ſpeech. Rich men they claw, ſooth up and flatter: the poore they contemne and despiſe. 1603, Plutarch, “Of the Nouriture and Education of Children”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 15:

Forms

Deriveds

soother · soothesome · unsoothe · soothy · unsoothed · besoothe · soothing · soothable · soothsayer · soothability · resoothe

Synonyms

ameliorate · accede · gentle · come round · collogue · yield · palaver · give way · appease · grant · soothe · comfort · jolly · comply · bring down · quell · allay · speak well of · peacen · allow · cool down · glaver · solace · lull · cave in · relax · console · delay · comfort · cheer · preen · puff · stroke · tickle the ear · soothe · put at ease · placate · make fair weather · flatter · lay it on thick · becalm · mollify · bestill · becalm · agree · concede · lay it on thick · solace · placate · soothe · calm down · come around · flatterize · give way · gloze · hose down · pacify · soothe · still · jolly · brush up to · comply · assuage · calm · cool off · temper · besoothe · puff

Translations (104)

mi whakanene (to restore to ease) · mi whakanene (to calm or placate) · la pācō (to calm or placate) · de mildern (to restore to ease) · de trösten (to ease or relieve pain) · cs zklidňovat (to restore to ease) · cs konejšit (to restore to ease) · pl uspokoić (to ease or relieve pain) · ro alina (to calm or placate) · tr yatıştırmak (to calm or placate) · cs uklidnit (to restore to ease) · de Wogen glätten (to restore to ease) · de beruhigen (to restore to ease) · uk полегшувати (to ease or relieve pain) · mi mamahu (to restore to ease) · es aserenar (to calm or placate) · tr sakinleştirmek (to calm or placate) · eo trankviligi (to restore to ease) · fi lievittää (to ease or relieve pain) · pl uspokajać (to ease or relieve pain) · sv lindra (to ease or relieve pain) · de besänftigen (to restore to ease) · mi mamahu (to calm or placate) · la lēniō (to ease or relieve pain) · pl koić (to ease or relieve pain) · pt aliviar (to bring comfort or relief) · fi lepyttää (to restore to ease) · fi tyynnyttää (to calm or placate) · ja なだめる (to calm or placate) · cs zklidnit (to restore to ease) · de etwas versüßen (to bring comfort or relief) · de gütig stimmen (to restore to ease) · de beschwichtigen (to calm or placate) · cs ulehčit (to bring comfort or relief) · ru обле́гчить (to ease or relieve pain) · cs utěšovat (to ease or relieve pain) · ru успока́ивать (to calm or placate) · fr apaiser (to restore to ease) · ar هَدَّأَ (to calm or placate) · ro potoli (to calm or placate) · es serenar (to calm or placate) · cs uklidnit (to bring comfort or relief) · ro domoli (to calm or placate) · ota قیرمق (to ease or relieve pain) · cs ulevit (to bring comfort or relief) · ru умиротворя́ть (to calm or placate) · pl łagodzić (to restore to ease) · cs ukonejšit (to calm or placate) · de mildern (to calm or placate) · tr dindirmek (to calm or placate) · cs uklidňovat (to restore to ease) · cs konejšit (to ease or relieve pain) · ru облегча́ть (to bring comfort or relief) · la lēniō (to bring comfort or relief) · it placare (to calm or placate) · de lindern (to ease or relieve pain) · cs ukonejšit (to restore to ease) · mi mamahu (to bring comfort or relief) · ru умиротвори́ть (to calm or placate) · id melegakan (to ease or relieve pain) · cs ukonejšit (to ease or relieve pain) · de beruhigen (to calm or placate) · ro liniști (to calm or placate) · ru успоко́ить (to calm or placate) · pt aliviar (to ease or relieve pain) · pl ukoić (to ease or relieve pain) · tr dindirmek (to ease or relieve pain) · de mildern (to ease or relieve pain) · no berolige (to calm or placate) · bg смекчавам (to ease or relieve pain) · cs ulevovat (to bring comfort or relief) · it lenire (to ease or relieve pain) · fi lepytellä (to restore to ease) · cs utěšit (to ease or relieve pain) · it calmare (to restore to ease) · ar طَمْأَنَ (to calm or placate) · ru ублажа́ть (to bring comfort or relief) · sk lahodiť (to restore to ease) · pt acalmar (to calm or placate) · mi mamahu (to ease or relieve pain) · de Erleichterung bringen (to bring comfort or relief) · tr dindirmek (to bring comfort or relief) · cs ulevovat (to ease or relieve pain) · fr soulager (to ease or relieve pain) · fr calmer (to calm or placate) · es desenconar (to ease or relieve pain) · ru обле́гчить (to bring comfort or relief) · ar سَكَّنَ (to ease or relieve pain) · de lindern (to bring comfort or relief) · de beschwichtigend wirken (to calm or placate) · de besänftigen (to calm or placate) · cs uklidňovat (to bring comfort or relief) · bg облекчавам (to ease or relieve pain) · az sakitləşdirmək (to calm or placate) · ca calmar (to calm or placate) · cs ulevit (to ease or relieve pain) · cs konejšit (to calm or placate) · it alleviare (to ease or relieve pain) · ru облегча́ть (to ease or relieve pain) · cs ulehčovat (to bring comfort or relief) · it mitigare (to ease or relieve pain) · bg утешавам (to restore to ease) · bg успокоявам (to calm or placate) · fr apaiser (to calm or placate)