1
as in coaxing
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 massaging
to praise too much
shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soaping
Verb
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What good is a data-sharing collaboration where no one (at least without coaxing) wants to share data?—
Dhiraj Bhat,
Forbes,
19 Dec. 2024 -
Tech companies are slowly but surely coaxing filmmakers into tinkering with their AI tools.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Join us in applauding this young hero.—
Melissa Rudy,
Fox News,
23 Dec. 2024
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Jeff Bezos is applauding his fiancée Lauren Sánchez for her eventful year!—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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As the energy market looks for clues on global crude oil demand growth in 2025, many are eyeing how things may unfold in India with China's consumption flattering to deceive.—
Gaurav Sharma,
Forbes,
29 Dec. 2024
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Or go for something more timeless like this cowl neck dress, which has flattering ruched detailing along the stomach.—
Nicol Natale,
People.com,
28 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-soaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soaping. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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