Meanings
verbsoften (third-person singular simple present softens, present participle softening, simple past and past participle softened)
present singular third person softens · participle present softening · participle past softened · past softened
- transitiveTo make less harsh.
Having second thoughts, I softened my criticism.
1 more example
I have recently reclad the south-west facing side of my single-storey cottage […]. I now want to plant some climbers of more manageable proportions to soften the building.
2015 February 7, Helen Yemm, “Thorny problems: How can I soften a brick wall with plants?”, in The Daily Telegraph (London), page G7 - intransitiveTo become soft or softer.
The butter softened as it warmed up.
- Slavic phonologyTo palatalize.
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsoftenen
- Englishsoften
From Middle English softenen, softnen, equivalent to soft + -en.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μαλάσσω, μαλάσσομαι
- μαλάσσω (malássō)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- μαλάσσομαι (malássomai)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Bulgarian размеквам, смекчавам
- размеквам (razmekvam)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- смекчавам (smekčavam)(transitive) To make less harsh
- омеквам (omekvam)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Catalan estovar, ablanir
- estovar(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- ablanir(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Chinese Mandarin 軟化 /软化, 變軟 /变软
- 軟化 /软化 (ruǎnhuà)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- 變軟 /变软 (biànruǎn)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Danish blødgøre, blødgøre
- blødgøre(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- blødgøre(transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)
- blødgøres(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Dutch verzachten
- verzachten(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Finnish pehmentää, pehmittää
- pehmentää(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- pehmittää(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- pehmittää(transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)
- pehmittää(transitive) To make less harsh
- pehmetä(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- pehmentyä(intransitive) To become soft or softer
French adoucir
- adoucir(transitive) To make something soft or softer
German aufweichen, weichen
- aufweichen(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- weichen(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- aufweichen(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- weichen(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Italian ammorbidire, addolcire
- ammorbidire(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- addolcire(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- rendere arrendevole(transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up)
- rendere malleabile(transitive) To make less harsh
- addolcire(transitive) To make less harsh
- ammorbidire(transitive) To make less harsh
- ammorbidirsi(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Japanese 柔らかくなる, 軟らかくなる
- 柔らかくなる (yawarakaku naru)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- 軟らかくなる (yawarakaku naru)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Latin molliō, mollescō
- molliō(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- mollescō(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Māori whakapē, whakangāwari
- whakapē(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- whakangāwari(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- whakangohengohe(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Norwegian bløtgjøre
- bløtgjøre(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Polish zmiękczać, zmiękczyć
- zmiękczać(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- zmiękczyć(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- rozmiękczyć(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- mięknąć(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- zmięknąć(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Portuguese amolecer, suavizar
- amolecer(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- suavizar(transitive) To make less harsh
Romanian muia, înmuia
- muia(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- înmuia(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Russian смягча́ть, смягчи́ть
- смягча́ть (smjaxčátʹ)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- смягчи́ть (smjaxčítʹ)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- размягча́ть (razmjaxčátʹ)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- размягчи́ть (razmjaxčítʹ)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- смягча́ть (smjaxčátʹ)(transitive) To make less harsh
- смягчи́ть (smjaxčítʹ)(transitive) To make less harsh
- смягча́ться (smjaxčátʹsja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- смягчи́ться (smjaxčítʹsja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- размягча́ться (razmjaxčátʹsja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- размягчи́ться (razmjaxčítʹsja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Spanish ablandar, suavizar
- ablandar(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- suavizar(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- emblandecer(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- reblandecer(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- enllentecer(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- enternecer(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- suavizar(transitive) To make less harsh
- ablandarse(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- lentecer(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- enllentecerse(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- reblandecerse(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- relentecer(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Swedish mjukna, mjuka
- mjukna(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- mjuka(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Tagalog lumambot
- lumambot(transitive) To make something soft or softer
Turkish yumuşatmak, yumuşamak
- yumuşatmak(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- yumuşamak(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Ukrainian пом'я́кшувати, пом'якши́ти
- пом'я́кшувати (pomʺjákšuvaty)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- пом'якши́ти (pomʺjakšýty)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- розм'я́кшувати (rozmʺjákšuvaty)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- розм'якши́ти (rozmʺjakšýty)(transitive) To make something soft or softer
- пом'я́кшуватися (pomʺjákšuvatysja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- пом'якши́тися (pomʺjakšýtysja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- м'я́кшати (mʺjákšaty)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- розм'я́кшуватися (rozmʺjákšuvatysja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- розм'якши́тися (rozmʺjakšýtysja)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
- розм'яка́ти (rozmʺjakáty)(intransitive) To become soft or softer
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
soften. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soften
MLA
“soften.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soften. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soften,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soften.
Source: soften on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.