soften up

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: sof=ten up

THESAURUS

soften up

abate, affect, attenuate, beleaguer, bend, beset, besiege, bias, blarney, blockade, blunt, butter, butter up, color, cramp, cripple, cushion, damp, dampen, deaden, debilitate, devitalize, dispose, dull, ease, encircle, encompass, enervate, enfeeble, envelop, eviscerate, exhaust, extenuate, fluff, gentle, get around, gruel, harass, harry, honey, incline, induce, influence, invest, jolly, kid along, knead, laxate, lay it on, lay low, lay siege to, lead, limber, limber up, loosen, mash, massage, mellow, milden, mitigate, mollify, move, oil, overdo it, persuade, play up to, plump, predispose, prompt, pulp, rattle, reduce, relax, sap, shake, shake up, smash, soap, soft-soap, soften, squash, string along, stroke, subdue, supple, surround, sway, tenderize, tinge, tone, tone down, tune down, unbrace, undermine, unman, unnerve, unstrengthen, unstring, weaken, wear down, weigh with, work