soften

CEFRB1

/ˈsɒfən/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make or become less hard, strong, or harsh.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To make less harsh.

Examples

  • What can cheer up, soften, color everything - a big love.

  • You can soften dialysis tubing by soaking it in water.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈsɔf(t)ən/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up).

  2. To make something soft or softer.

  3. To become soft or softer.

More examples

In context

  • Before the invasion, we softened up the enemy with the artillery.

  • Having second thoughts, I softened my criticism.

  • Soften the butter before beating in the sugar.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After working in the garden, she applied a moisturizer to blank her rough hands.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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