Meaning & use
soften
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make something less hard or firm, for example by heating, pressing, or adding liquid.
Grammar: Takes an object: soften the butter.
Patterns
- soften something
- soften something with something
Soften the butter by leaving it out of the fridge for an hour.
The hot water will soften the dried mud on your boots.
She softened the clay with a little water before shaping it.
verbintransitive
To become less hard or firm.
Grammar: No object; often used with a subject that changes by itself: the butter softened.
Patterns
- something softens
- soften in something
The ice cream softened quickly in the sun.
Leave the fruit to soften before you make the jam.
The ground softens after heavy rain.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To become less strict, angry, or determined, or to make someone feel this way.
Grammar: Can take an object (soften your position) or stand alone (his face softened).
Patterns
- soften your stance
- soften towards someone
- someone's expression softens
The government softened its position on the new tax after protests.
Her voice softened when she saw how upset he was.
He refused at first, but he softened after we explained the situation.
verbtransitive
To make the effect of something less severe or unpleasant.
Grammar: Takes an object, often an abstract noun like blow, impact, or criticism.
Patterns
- soften the blow
- soften the impact of something
- soften the effect of something
They offered him a larger payment to soften the blow of losing his job.
The thick walls soften the noise from the street.
A few kind words can soften the criticism.
Word forms
| third person singular | softens |
|---|---|
| past tense | softened |
| past participle | softened |
| -ing form | softening |
Common combinations
- soften the blow
- He brought flowers to soften the blow of the bad news.
- soften your stance
- The union softened its stance during the talks.
- soften the impact
- Trees along the road soften the impact of traffic noise.
- soften your voice
- She softened her voice so as not to wake the baby.
- soften with butter
- Soften the onions with butter before adding the rice.
Synonyms and how they differ
- melt
- Use melt for solids turning to liquid with heat; soften means becoming less hard but not necessarily liquid.
- ease
- Ease suggests reducing pain or difficulty; soften is more about reducing hardness or severity.
- relent
- Relent means finally agreeing after refusing, while soften means becoming less strict or angry.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: soften or soften?
soften vs soften
Do not confuse with 'soften' and 'soften' — they are the same word; the common mistake is spelling it 'soften' as 'sofen'.
Practice
The manager tried to ______ the blow by announcing the changes gradually.
Choose one answer.
After 'to' we need the base form 'soften'. 'Softened' is past tense, 'softening' is the -ing form, and 'softens' is third person singular, so none fits after 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soften”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.