1
as in to coax
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
shrewd voters who know when a politician is trying to soft-soap them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in butter
excessive praise
a salesman who knows the value of soft soap in making a sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 soft-soap
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Founder and Creative Director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning Band-Aids to soft soap as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Verb
So do her successes in soft-soaping some recalcitrant senators into supporting the mission’s funding.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Noun
People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
For spills or stains, spot cleaning with soft soap like Zero or Woolite.
—Rachel Klein, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Founder and Creative Director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning Band-Aids to soft soap as well as regular editorial content online.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2021
Later, barber is seen crouching on his bed, holding lighted match under jam jar of water, soft soap and boot blacking.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Potassium hydroxide, on the other hand, produces an easily soluble soft soap.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-soap
Verb
-
The purity and openness coax out all the details in recordings and then some.Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
-
This portable sound machine has a real fan inside to coax you to sleep with the sounds of moving air, without having to turn on your chilly air conditioner.Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
-
Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.Selene Yeager, Health, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
This small French bakery serves up simple but flawlessly executed French bread, and the jambon beurre sandwich here, served with a thick slathering of butter, grainy mustard and ham on a crusty baguette, reigns as my favorite sandwich of the year.Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 25 Dec. 2024
-
The wheels glided like butter, and the dusty pink color caught a few glances at the terminal.Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Then, when massaging it onto skin, its shea butter-rich formula creates a protective moisture barrier for a full day’s wear.Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024
-
Simply apply the formula to your scalp daily and massage it in to see results in as soon as 90 days, according to the brand.Mia Huelsbeck, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
From there, according to the report, the sweet talk quickly moves to messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Google Chat or Telegram.Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
-
Just in case that gave Reba a leg up, don't let her sweet talk you.Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
-
After reminding me of this quote, Grantham commended Prince, kind of.John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
-
Karlsson’s experience last season was analogous to that of Rob Edwards at Luton Town — although his side were relegated, he was commended for performing so impressively with a club unfamiliar to the top division.Michael Cox, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
All that praise has inspired adventurous diners to make special trips to Hiša Franko, in a tiny village in the Soča Valley, which feels like some undiscovered corner of Switzerland.Nicholas DeRenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Dec. 2024
-
This shrimp and grits casserole receives high praise from our readers, who love the addition of sharp cheddar cheese and bacon.Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.Armond White, National Review, 24 May 2023
-
He’s overpraised of course.Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near soft-soap
Cite this Entry
“Soft-soap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-soap. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share