softening 1 of 3

softening

2 of 3

noun

softening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of soften

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of softening
Verb
An iron deficiency may lead to nail changes such as softening and weakness. Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 24 Dec. 2024 Another indicator of a softening economy is Industrial Production. Robert Barone, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 Its intensely moisturizing formula features amino acids that make up the protein keratin (which is key for maintaining your hair’s structure and strength) and hair-softening plant extracts. Sara Coughlin, SELF, 23 Dec. 2024 These are made with sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, and Vitamin E, smoothing and softening even the roughest skin. Veronica Booth, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024 Valuing Quality Hires The tech industry is shifting from volume hiring to quality hiring, as companies prioritize the impact of each new employee in a softening labor market. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 The company blamed worsened consumer sentiment in China for driving further softening in overall prestige beauty in mainland China and low conversion rates in Asia travel retail and Hong Kong. Kathryn Hopkins, WWD, 16 Dec. 2024 The spray-on scent has a skin-softening base of sweet almond, macadamia, argan, and apricot kernel oils. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024 Avoid items that show signs of changes in food texture, such as softening or ice crystals. Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softening
Adjective
  • Thicker consistencies create an emollient barrier on top of the skin, trapping in the heat and exacerbating the inflammation.
    BestReviews, The Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2024
  • Without subjecting you to a chemistry lesson, humectant ingredients must be teamed with emollient ingredients to make an effective lip balm.
    Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 2 Feb. 2024
Verb
  • Moffett also said artificial intelligence isn’t driving an upgrade cycle as hoped, noting that there is weakening demand in China along with antitrust concerns.
    Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2025
  • With high expectations for future new orders along with expanding current new orders, the outlooks for material handling and supply chain industries are positive, despite some weakening in the December MHI BAI report.
    Jason Schenker, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Research — a survey of 109 CEOs of major Canadian organizations, complemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with 46 of them — suggests six strategies for alleviating loneliness that leaders can employ.
    Alaric Bourgoin, Sarah L. Wright, Jean-François Harvey, Saouré Kouamé, Harvard Business Review, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Much of this latest round of donations went to organizations focused on alleviating poverty, Scott wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.
    Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Bank stocks rose Monday on the prospect of more lenient oversight after the Federal Reserve’s top supervisory official stepped down to avoid a potentially thorny legal battle with President-elect Donald Trump.
    Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Through these financial twists and turns, La Liga has arguably been remarkably lenient, perhaps because its president Javier Tebas wants a strong Barcelona to help the league’s overall brand.
    Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The leafless, hollow flowering stems are usually the first thing to emerge from the bulb, followed by the foliage.
    Janet Carson, arkansasonline.com, 30 Dec. 2024
  • After flowering has finished, place the plant in a sunny spot and continue to water and feed it like any houseplant.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
    Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
  • That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
  • Roundup Our Best Stories of 2019 Tweety bird linguistics, tiny purses, Beowulf's monsters, and the evolution of beauty.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
  • That was the whole point of these evolutions of our cellular technologies: to remove that bandwidth limitation.
    Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • What separates a great investor from a good one is proactivity around identifying and mitigating those risks as soon as the deal is final, preferably even before closing.
    Dan Hawkins, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Human experts play a major role in identifying and mitigating these biases.
    George Tsarouchas, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near softening

Cite this Entry

“Softening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softening. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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