soothe

Meanings

Verb

give moral or emotional strength to
cause to feel better
- "the medicine soothes the pain of the inflammation"
To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
To calm or placate someone or some situation.
To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
To bring comfort or relief.
To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English sothen (“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English sōþian (“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-West Germanic *sanþōn, from Proto-Germanic *sanþōną (“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Cognate with Danish sande (“to verify”), Swedish sanna (“to verify”), Icelandic sanna (“to verify”). See also sooth. Displaced native Old English frēfran, ġefrēfran (“to comfort, console, soothe”), and partially displaced native Old English stillan, ġestillan (“to calm, become calm, pacify, quieten”) (whence modern still).
The semantic evolution of "to verify, prove the validity of" → "to comfort" (first attested in the late 17th century) comes from the notion of assuaging someone by supporting the truth of what they say.

Synonyms

accede, agree, allay, allow, ameliorate, appease, assuage, becalm, besoothe, bestill, bring down, calm, calm down, cave in, cheer, come around, come round, comfort, comply, concede, console, cool down, cool off, delay, give way, grant, hose down, lull, mollify, pacify, peacen, placate, put at ease, quell, relax, solace, soothe, still, temper, yield

Antonyms

irritate

Scrabble Score: 9

soothe is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
soothe is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
soothe is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

soothe is a valid Words With Friends word