soothe

[sooth]

verb (used with object)

soothed, soothing 

1. to tranquilize or calm (a person or their emotions); relieve, comfort, or refresh.

   soothing someone's anger;

   to soothe someone with a hot drink.

   Antonyms: roil, upset

2. to mitigate, assuage, or allay, as pain, sorrow, or doubt.

   to soothe sunburned skin.

   Synonyms: mollify, appease, alleviate

verb (used without object)

soothed, soothing 

1. to exert a calming influence; bring tranquility, ease, or comfort.

   a soft-spoken poem that soothes like a lullaby.

soothe

/ suːð /

verb

1. (tr) to make calm or tranquil

2. (tr) to relieve or assuage (pain, longing, etc)

3. (intr) to bring tranquillity or relief

Other Word Forms

• soother noun
• self-soothed adjective
• unsoothed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of soothe¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English sothen “to bear witness, confirm, verify,” Old English sōthian “to prove true”; the Modern English sense shift “to verify” becomes “to support (a person's statement),” then “to encourage,” and finally “to calm”; sooth

Word History and Origins

Origin of soothe¹

C16 (in the sense: to mollify): from Old English sōthian to prove; related to Old Norse sanna to assert; see _sooth

Synonym Study

See comfort, allay.

Example Sentences

It was soothing to sit in a room with other people who behaved in many of the same ways I did.

From Los Angeles Times

Giddy, renegotiating the meaning of intimacy among friends can be so soothing.

From Los Angeles Times

The agreement with the EU to guarantee continued tariff-free trade soothed the industry's concerns when it came.

From BBC

"My ancestors used to be summoned by the courts of local kings and were often asked to build instruments that could soothe hearts," he says.

From BBC

A humanoid robot greets her with a soothing female voice.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• allay 
• alleviate 
• appease 
• assuage 
• cool 
• mitigate 
• mollify 
• pacify 
• relieve 
• soften