soften

ablandar, ablandarse

Hacer que algo sea menos duro o volverse menos duro.

En inglés sencillo: To make something less hard, or to become less hard.

• Warm water will soften the clay.
• The butter softened on the kitchen counter.
• Cook the onions until they soften.

Antónimos: harden

Expresiones frecuentes: soften butter, soften the leather, soften the skin

suavizar, atenuar

Hacer que palabras, sonidos, sentimientos o acciones sean menos intensos, duros o desagradables.

En inglés sencillo: To make words, sounds, feelings, or actions less strong, severe, or unpleasant.

• She softened her voice.
• He tried to soften the criticism with a smile.
• The extra payment softened the blow of losing her job.

Sinónimos: ease, moderate, tone down

Antónimos: intensify

Expresiones frecuentes: soften the blow, soften your tone, soften the criticism

debilitar, ablandar

Reducir la confianza o la resistencia de alguien para que sea más fácil vencerlo o convencerlo.

En inglés sencillo: To weaken someone's confidence or resistance so they are easier to defeat or persuade.

• The attacks softened the enemy's resistance.
• They used constant pressure to soften the prisoners up.
• Weeks of bombing had softened up the defending troops.

Cómo se usa: soften someone up (The bombardment was intended to soften the enemy up.)

Sinónimos: weaken, wear down

Antónimos: strengthen

Expresiones frecuentes: soften someone up, soften the enemy