1
as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
she cunningly soft-soaped her parents into letting her go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in butter
excessive praise
a salesman who knows the value of soft soap in making a sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of soft-soap
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Founder and Creative Director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning Band-Aids to soft soap as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Verb
So do her successes in soft-soaping some recalcitrant senators into supporting the mission’s funding.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Noun
People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Founder and Creative Director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning Band-Aids to soft soap as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soap
Verb
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The numbers are vital in helping a club that historically has lived in the shadow of its bigger, wealthier London neighbours thrive at the top level, but Frank’s ability to coax performances out of a largely unheralded squad is just as important.Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024
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The latter caper bears fruit, as Matty and Olympia — with the help of, appropriately, a nanny cam — are able to coax one of Olympia’s friends, Lacy (Cathryn Mudon), into confessing to framing Nadira to cover up evidence of her affair with one of the other mom’s husbands.Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
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Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.Selene Yeager, Health, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
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The cookies are tender and made with real butter, and the tart jam is not too sweet.Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 12 Dec. 2024
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Start by melting a stick of butter with either cocoa powder or unsweetened baker's chocolate.Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Creams and serums: Add rice water to a base ingredient, such as coconut oil, and massage it into your skin, or add rice water to a favorite moisturizer or serum.Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 10 Dec. 2024
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This Repair and Shine Hair Brush has an olive wood handle and boar hair bristles that impart shine and massage the scalp.Adam Mansuroglu, WWD, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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From there, according to the report, the sweet talk quickly moves to messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Google Chat or Telegram.Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
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Just in case that gave Reba a leg up, don't let her sweet talk you.Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
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Jonathan Torres, public information officer for the L.A. County Fire, commended the swift and effective response of all involved, ensuring that the risks were mitigated effectively and efficiently.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
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There are few programs in the federal government that have a 99% success rate and something the BOP should be commended for by identifying those candidates for CARES Act who would successful.Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The economist has won praise from US President-elect Donald Trump, whose government efficiency tsars, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, appear keen to replicate his budget cuts in the United States.Hanna Ziady, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
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Although his nominee for Labor secretary has won bipartisan praise and has a pro-labor track record, Trump’s threats to deport millions, impose tariffs and weaken worker protections have left many in the labor movement wary of what his time in office will bring.Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.Armond White, National Review, 24 May 2023
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He’s overpraised of course.Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near soft-soap
Cite this Entry
“Soft-soap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soap. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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