soften

soft·en

 (sô′fən, sŏf′ən)

v. soft·ened, soft·en·ing, soft·ens

v.tr.

1. To make soft or softer.

2. To undermine or reduce the strength, morale, or resistance of.

3. To make less harsh, strident, or critical: softened the last paragraph of the letter.

v.intr.

To become soft or softer.

---

soft′en·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

soften

(ˈsɒfən)

vb

1. to make or become soft or softer

2. to make or become gentler

3. (Commerce) (intr) commerce

a. (of demand, a market, etc) to weaken

b. (of a price) to fall

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

soft•en

(ˈsɔ fən, ˈsɒf ən)

v.t.

1. to make soft or softer.

v.i.

2. to become soft or softer.

[1325–75]

soft′en•er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

soften

• emollient, emolliate - Emollient is from Latin emolliere, "to soften"; to emolliate is to soften or make effeminate.
• macerate - Meaning "to soften," it comes from Greek massein, "knead."
• lenify, lenity - To lenify is to alleviate or soothe an emotion or suffering, from Latin lenire, "soften"; lenity means kindness or gentleness.
• amalgamate - Seems to go back to Greek malagma, "softening."

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

soften

Past participle: softened
Gerund: softening

Imperative

soften

soften

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	soften - make (images or sounds) soft or softer change intensity - increase or decrease in intensity damp, mute, tone down, muffle, dampen, dull - deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping sharpen - make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper
	2.	soften - lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall" damp, weaken, dampen, break blunt, deaden - make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; "Terror blunted her feelings"; "deaden a sound" deafen - make soundproof; "deafen a room" deaden, damp, dampen - make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible; "muffle the message"
	3.	soften - give in, as to influence or pressure relent, yield truckle - yield to out of weakness
	4.	soften - protect from impact; "cushion the blow" cushion, buffer modify - make less severe or harsh or extreme; "please modify this letter to make it more polite"; "he modified his views on same-gender marriage"
	5.	soften - make less severe or harsh; "He moderated his tone when the students burst out in tears" mince, moderate alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	6.	soften - make soft or softer; "This liquid will soften your laundry" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" mellow - soften, make mellow; "Age and experience mellowed him over the years" mollify - make less rigid or softer macerate - soften, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result; "macerate peaches"; "the gizzards macerates the food in the digestive system" harden, indurate - make hard or harder; "The cold hardened the butter"
	7.	soften - become soft or softer; "The bread will soften if you pour some liquid on it" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" mellow - make or grow (more) mellow; "These apples need to mellow a bit more"; "The sun mellowed the fruit" macerate - become soft or separate and disintegrate as a result of excessive soaking; "the tissue macerated in the water" harden, indurate - become hard or harder; "The wax hardened"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

soften

verb

1. melt, tenderize Soften the butter mixture in a small saucepan.

2. lessen, moderate, diminish, temper, lower, relax, ease, calm, modify, cushion, soothe, subdue, alleviate, lighten, quell, muffle, allay, mitigate, abate, tone down, assuage He could not think how to soften the blow of what he had to tell her.

soften someone up win over, weaken, disarm, soft-soap (informal), work on, melt, conciliate If they'd treated you well it was only to soften you up.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

soften

verb

1. To moderate or change a position or course of action as a result of pressure:

ease off, relent, slacken, weaken, yield.

Idiom: give way.

2. To make or become less severe or extreme:

moderate, mute, qualify, subdue, tame, temper, tone down.

3. To ease the anger or agitation of:

appease, assuage, calm (down), conciliate, dulcify, gentle, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, soothe, sweeten.

Idiom: pour oil on troubled water.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

يُنَعِّم، يُخَفِّف حِدَّة

tlumit

blødgøreblødgøresdæmpe

dämpfen

ablandaramortiguaraplacardulcificarsuavizar

adouciramolliramortirflexibiliser

lágyítmeglágyít

mÿkja, milda

ammorbidirecalmareammollire

смягчать

tlmiť sa

mehčati

yumuşa mak

减弱少痛苦软化

soften

[ˈsɒfn]

A. VT

1. (= make less hard) [+ butter, ground, metal, leather, water] → ablandar

2. (= make smooth) [+ fabric, skin, hair] → suavizar

3. (= make gentle) [+ sound, outline] → suavizar; [+ lights, lighting] → hacer más tenue; [+ person] → ablandar

4. (= mitigate) [+ effect, reaction] → mitigar, atenuar
to soften the blow (fig) → amortiguar el golpe

B. VI

1. (= become less hard) [butter, ground, metal] → ablandarse

2. (= become smooth) [fabric, skin, hair] → suavizarse

3. (= become gentle) [voice, outline] → suavizarse; [lighting] → hacerse más tenue; [person] → ablandarse
her heart softened → se le ablandó el corazón

4. (= become moderate) [effect] → mitigarse, atenuarse; [attitude] → suavizarse, moderarse

soften up

A. VT + ADV [+ resistance] → debilitar

B. VI + ADV to soften up on sb → volverse menos severo con algn
we must not soften up on communism → debemos seguir tan opuestos como siempre al comunismo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

soften

[ˈsɒf^ən]

vt

(= make less hard or rough) [+ onions, butter] → faire ramollir, ramollir; [+ ground] → ramollir; [+ fabric, leather, skin] → assouplir

(= make less bright) [+ light, colour] → adoucir

(= make more gentle) [+ tone, voice, expression] → adoucir

(= make less severe) [+ impact, shock] → atténuer

(= make more sympathetic) [+ policy, position] → assouplir; [+ face] → adoucir
The memory of their initial meeting softened her face → Le souvenir de leur première rencontre adoucit ses traits.

vi

(= become less hard or rough) [skin, leather] → s'assouplir; [onions, butter, ice-cream] → ramollir
I'm waiting for the ice-cream to soften → J'attends que la glace ramollisse.

(= become less bright) [light, colour] → s'adoucir

(= become more gentle) [voice, expression] → s'adoucir

(= become more sympathetic) [attitude, position] → s'assouplir; [character, face] → s'adoucir
His mother's face softened a little → Le visage de sa mère s'adoucit un peu.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

soften

vt → weich machen; water also → enthärten; light, sound, colour → dämpfen; effect, sb’s anger, reaction, impression, tone → mildern; outline → weicher machen; image → weich zeichnen; voice → sanfter machen; resistance, opposition, sb’s position, stance → schwächen; demands, impact → abschwächen

vi (material, person, heart) → weich werden; (voice, look) → sanft werden; (anger, resistance) → nachlassen; (outlines) → weicher werden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

soften

[ˈsɒfn]

1. vt (gen) → ammorbidire; (light) → attenuare; (sound, impression) → attutire; (colour, anger) → smorzare; (resistance) → fiaccare; (person, weaken) → addolcire
he became softened by luxurious living → vivendo nel lusso si è rammollito
to soften the blow (fig) → attutire il colpo

2. vi (see vt) → ammorbidirsi, attenuarsi, attutirsi, smorzarsi, fiaccarsi; (person, character) → addolcirsi
her heart softened → si intenerì

soften up vt + adv (fam) to soften sb up → ammorbidire qn

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

soft

(soft) adjective

1. not hard or firm; easily changing shape when pressed. a soft cushion. sag طَري ، وَثير мек macio měkký weich blød μαλακόςblando pehme نرم pehmeä mouרך नरम, मुलायम, कोमल mekan puha, lágy empuk mjúkur morbido 柔らかい 부드러운 minkštas mīksts lembut zachtmyk, bløtmiękki نرم پوست ، سپك ( لكه څښاك چه الكول وه نه لرى) نازك ، تڼكۍ ، خوږ، مهربان macio moale мягкий mäkký mehek mekan mjuk อ่อนนุ่ม yumuşak 軟的 м'який نرم، ملائم mềm, dẻo 软的

2. pleasantly smooth to the touch. The dog has a soft, silky coat. sag ناعِم приятен macio měkký weich blød απαλόςsuave (siid)pehme لطيف sileä doux, soyeuxחלק चिकना, मसृण mekan, gladak finom lembut mjúkur, þægilegur viðkomu morbido, soffice すべすべした 매끄러운, 보들보들한 švelnus maigs; glāsmains lembut zachtmyk, bløtmiękki نرم macio moale, mătăsos мягкий mäkký mehek mekan mjuk, len นุ่ม tatlı 鬆軟的 м'який چکنا، خوشگوار nhẵn, mịn, mượt 松软的

3. not loud. a soft voice. sag ناعِم، لَيْسَ مُرْتَفِعا тих suave tichý sanft blød; blid απαλός, γλυκός, σιγανόςsuave mahe آهسته pehmeä douxשקט धीमा मन्द tih, blag halk pelahan mildur dolce, soave 低い (목소리 등이) 조용한 švelnus maigs; liegs perlahan zachtdempet, lav, svakcichy سوكه suave blând тихий tichý tih tih dämpad เบา yavaş, alçak sesli 柔和的 ніжний, лагідний نرم، خوش آئند nhẹ, nhẹ nhàng 柔和的

4. (of colour) not bright or harsh. a soft pink. sag خافِت، ليْسَ لامِعا деликатен (цвят) suave měkký gedämpft dæmpet ήπιος, γλυκόςsuave mahe ملايم pehmeäsävyinen douxשקט सादा nježan meleg lembut mildur tenue 落着いた (색이) 수수한, 번쩍거리지 않는 neryškus, švelnus maigs; mierīgs lembut zachtsvak, myk, dempetspokojny نرم suave moale неяркий, нежный jemný nežen svetlo dämpad, mild จาง yumuşak, tatlı (顏色)柔和的 неяскравий ہلکا dịu, không lòe loẹt （颜色）柔和的

5. not strict (enough). You are too soft with him. lig, sag لَيِّن، غَيْر صارِم отстъпчив brando shovívavý mild mild; blid μαλακός, επιεικήςblando järeleandlik رئوف lepsu indulgentרך मुलायम blag, nedovoljno strog gyenge lunak mildur indulgente, tenero 優しい (성격이) 어진, 인자한 minkštas, nuolaidus nepietiekami stingrs lembut slapmilddelikatny, łagodny مهربان brando indul­gent недостаточно строгий zhovievavý popustljiv mek beskedlig, släpphänt ใจดี; เมตตา gevşek, zayıf 軟弱的 м'який نرم دل nhu nhược 软弱的

6. (of a drink) not alcoholic. At the party they were serving soft drinks as well as wine and spirits. koeldrank غَيْر كُحولي газирана напитка não alcoólico nealkoholický alkoholfrei læskedrik; sodavand μη οινοπνευματώδηςno alcohólico ilma alkoholita, karastus- غير الكلي alkoholiton non alcoolisé מַשקֶה קַל मधुर, मीठा bezalkoholan (piće) alkoholmentes ringan óáfengur analcolico アルコール分のない (음료수에) 알코올이 들어 있지 않은 nealkoholinis bezalkoholisks ringan fris- alkoholfri; brusbezalkoholowy غیر الکلی não alcoólico nealcoolic безалкогольный nealkoholický brezalkoholen bezalkoholni alkoholfri น้ำอัดลม; เครื่องดื่มไม่ผสมแอลกอฮอล์ alkolsüz 不含酒精的(軟飲料) безалкогольний غیر الکحلی مشروب nhẹ ,dịu 不含酒精的（软饮料）

7. childishly weak, timid or silly. Don't be so soft – the dog won't hurt you. laf ضَعيف، جَبان، سَخيف изнежен maricas bázlivý verweichlicht bange μαλθακός, δειλός, ανόητοςtonto, bobo arg, rumal سست herkkä stupideרכרוכי बेवकूफ nemuževan, mekoput félénk penakut kjánalegur, linur stupido 柔弱な 유약한, 어리석은 bailus bailīgs bodoh; miring flauwfeigmiękki, bojaźliwy سست medricas tâmpit, idiot кроткий bojazlivý reva stidljiv pjoskig ขี้ขลาด; เหลวไหล zayıf 膽怯的 боязкий; дурний کمزور، احمقانہ yếu đuối, ủy mị 胆怯的

ˈsoftly adverb

sag بِنُعومَه меко suavemente měkce; tiše weich blødt; blidt; mildt; dæmpet μαλακά, απαλάsuavemente pehmelt pehmeästi doucementברכות बुद्धू, भोंदू mekano halkan, csendesen, lágyan dengan lembut mjúklega dolcemente, soavemente 柔らかく 부드럽게 švelniai klusi; mierīgi; liegi dengan lembut zachtmykt, mildtmiękko, cicho, spokojnie په نرمۍ suavemente uşor мягко; тихо; нежно mäkko; ticho mehko mekano mjukt อย่างเบา ๆ tatlı tatlı, alçak sesle 柔軟地 м'яко; ніжно نرمی سے một cách dịu dàng, một cách êm ái 柔软地

ˈsoftness noun

sagtheid نُعومَه мекота suavidade měkkost, tichost die Weichheit blødhed; blidhed; mildhed; dæmpethed απαλότηταsuavidad pehmus pehmeys douceurרכות मूर्खता mekoća, blagost lágyság, puhaság kelembutan mÿkt, mildi dolcezza, soavità 柔らかさ 부드러움 švelnumas maigums; mierīgums; liegums kelembutan zachtheid mykhet, bløthet; feighet miękkość, spokój نرمى suavidade moliciune; blândeţe мягкость mäkkosť; tichosť mehkoba mekanost mjukhet ความนุ่มนวล; ความเบาบาง; ความอ่อนนุ่ม yumuşaklık 溫柔 м'якість; лагідність نرمی tính dịu dàng, mềm dẻo, ủy mị 温柔

soften (ˈsofn) verb

to make or become soft or softer, less strong or less painful. The thick walls softened the noise of the explosion. sagmaak, verdoof يُنَعِّم، يُخَفِّف حِدَّة омекотявам (се) amortecer tlumit (se) dämpfen dæmpe μαλακώνω, απαλύνωsuavizar pehmendama, pehmenema نرم كردن pehmentää adoucir לְרַכֵּך नरमा कर देना smekšati, oslabiti (meg)lágyít meredam mÿkja, milda ammorbidire; attenuare 柔らげる 완화하다, 부드럽게 하다 sušvelninti, sušvelnėti mīkstināt; klusināt; vājināt melembutkan zacht (doen) worden dempe, myke opp, svekke, formilde zmiękczać, osłabiać نرمول، يستول، سپكيدل، نرميدل amortecer a înmuia; a slăbi; a atenua смягчать tlmiť (sa) omehčati (se); ublažiti omekšati göra mjuk, dämpa, mildra ทำให้อ่อนนุ่ม yumuşa(t)mak 軟化，減輕痛苦，少痛苦 пом'якшувати(ся) نرمانا، کمزور کرنا làm cho mềm, làm cho dịu 软化，减弱，少痛苦

ˌsoft-ˈboiled adjective

(of eggs) slightly boiled, so that the yolk is still soft. She likes her eggs soft-boiled. saggekook نِصْف مَسْلوقَه рохко сварен mal cozido naměkko weichgekocht blødkogt μελάτος pasado por agua pehme löysä à la coque בֵּיצָה רַכָּה meko kuhan (jaje) lágy direbus setengah matang linsoðinn alla coque 半熟の (달걀을) 반숙인 minkštas mīksti vārīts (par olu) separuh masak zachtgekooktbløtkokt gotowany na miękko ايشيدل شوى mal cozido moale всмятку namäkko v mehko kuhan meko kuvan löskokt ไข่ลวก rafadan, az pişmiş (蛋)煮得半熟的 рідко зварений نرم ابلا ہوا انڈا luộc lòng đào （蛋）煮得半熟的

ˌsoft-ˈhearted adjective

kind-hearted and generous. He had been given some money by a soft-hearted aunt. sagmoedig كَريم، عَطوف، رَقيق القَلْب мекосърдечен bondoso dobrosrdečný weichherzig blødhjertet συμπονετικός, καλόκαρδος, γενναιόδωροςcompasivo, bondadoso pehmesüdameline helläsydäminen au coeur tendre רחמן कोमल हृदय वाला meka srca, sućutan lágyszívű baik hati brjóstgóður da cuore tenero 優しい 마음씨 고운, 인정 많은 minkštaširdis mīkstsirdīgs berhati lembut teerhartigbløthjertet o miękkim sercu مهربان، سخى bondoso tandru мягкосердечный dobrosrdečný mehkega srca dobroćudan godhjärtad ที่มีเมตตา yufka yürekli, merhametli 好心腸的 чуйний; м'якосердий نرم دل đa cảm, dễ mềm lòng 好心肠的

ˌsoft-ˈspoken adjective

having a gentle voice or manner. She was a soft-spoken woman with a shy smile. vriendelik مَعْسول اللسان любезен afável s jemným hlasem gewinnend blid γλυκομίλητος de voz suave/dulce mahehäälne hiljainen à la voix douce מְדַבֵּר בְּנוֹעָם मृदुभाषी, मधुर भाषी blag, ljubazan szelíd halus budi bahasanya blíðmáll; vingjarnlegur dalla voce dolce, affabile 物ごしの柔らかい (말씨가) 부드러운, 상냥한 švelnus ar maigu balsi; mierīgs bersuara lembut met zachte stem som har mild stemme/vesen o łagodnym głosie هغه څوك چى په نرمى سره خبرى كوى afável cu voce blândă мягким голосом, тихий s jemným hlasom mil tihog glasa vänlig, älskvärd, som talar med mild (vänlig) röst พูดนุ่มนวล tatlı dilli, yumuşak sesli 說話溫柔的 солодкомовний خوش گفتار، شیریں کلام thỏ thẻ, nhẹ nhàng 说话温柔的

ˈsoftware noun

computer programs, as opposed to the machines themselves (ˈhardware). sagteware, programmatuur بَرامِج الحاسوب софтуер software programové vybavení počítače die Software software λογισμικό Η/Υ software tarkvara ohjelmisto logicielתוכנה कंप्यूटर के प्रोग्राम चार्ट इत्यादि kompjuterski programi, podaci szoftver perangkat lunak forrit, hugbúnaður software ソフトウェア 소프트웨어 programinė įranga (datora) programmatisks nodrošinājums perisian programmatuurprogramvareoprogramowanie سافت وير software soft­ware программное обеспечение softvér programska oprema softver mjukvara โปรแกรมต่าง ๆ ที่ใช้กับเครื่องคอมพิวเตอร์ yazılım 軟體 програмне забезпечення کمپیوٹر میں استعمال ہونے والے پروگرام اور معلومات phần mềm 软件

ˈsoftwood noun, adjective

(of) the wood of a conebearing tree eg a pine. softwood furniture. sagtehout خَشَب رَخْو иглолистна дървесина madeira-branca měkké dřevo das Nadelbaumholz blødtræ; blødt træ μαλακό ξύλο κωνοφόρων δέντρων madera de coníferas pehme puit, pehmest puidust havupuu bois tendre עֵץ רַך मृदुकाष्ठ meko (crnogorično) drvo puhafa kayu lunak mjúkviður (fura, greni) legno dolce; di legno dolce 軟材(の) 침엽수(의) minkšta mediena skujkoku koksne; skujkoku- kayu lembut zachthout bløtt tre (gran, furu) drewno miękkie, z drewna miękkiego د صبر ونخ madeira-branca lemn moale мягкая древесина mäkké drevo mehek les meko drvo mjukt träslag, trä av barrträd ไม้เนื้ออ่อน çam tahtası(ndan yapılmış) 軟木材 м'яка деревина سفیدہ یا صنوبری لکڑی کی طرح نرم gỗ mềm 软木材

have a soft spot for

to have a weakness for (someone or something) because of great affection. He's always had a soft spot for his youngest son. sagte plekkie نُقْطَة ضَعْف имам слабо място ter um fraco por mít slabost pro eine Schwäche haben für svaghed for έχω αδυναμία σε κπ. ή κτ. tener una debilidad por (kellegi, millegi suhtes) nõrk olema ضعيف بودن olla heikkona jollekin avoir un faible pour qqn/qqch. חוְּלשָה ל- biti mekan prema nekome, imati slabu točku za nekoga elfogult vki javára punya kelemahan vera veikur fyrir (avere un debole per) 弱味 (~에게) 무르다, 약하다 jausti kam nors silpnybę just vājību pret kādu lembut hati terhadap seseorang een zwak hebben voorvære svak for mieć słabość do ضعیف ter um fraquinho por a avea o slăbiciune pentru cineva/ ceva питать слабость к (кому-л., чему-л.) mať slabosť pre imeti posebno nagnjenje do imati slabost vara svag för จุดอ่อน ...-e zaafı olmak 易受打動的(感情) мати слабкість до کسی سے موانست ، مروت برتنا say đắm, say mê ai, cái gì 易受打动的（感情）

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

soften

vt. ablandar, suavizar.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

soften

vt (make less hard) ablandar, (make smoother) suavizar

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.