Soothe

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Soothe \Soothe\ (s[=oo][th]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Soothed}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Soothing}.] [Originally, to assent to as true;
     OE. so[eth]ien to verify, AS. ges[=o][eth]ian to prove the
     truth of, to bear witness. See {Sooth}, a.]
     1. To assent to as true. [Obs.] --Testament of Love.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. To assent to; to comply with; to gratify; to humor by
        compliance; to please with blandishments or soft words; to
        flatter.
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              Good, my lord, soothe him, let him take the fellow.
                                                    --Shak.
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              I've tried the force of every reason on him,
              Soothed and caressed, been angry, soothed again.
                                                    --Addison.
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     3. To assuage; to mollify; to calm; to comfort; as, to soothe
        a crying child; to soothe one's sorrows.
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              Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast,
              To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. --Congreve.
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              Though the sound of Fame
              May for a moment soothe, it can not slake
              The fever of vain longing.            --Byron.
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     Syn: To soften; assuage; allay; compose; mollify;
          tranquilize; pacify; mitigate.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  soothe
       v 1: give moral or emotional strength to [syn: {comfort}, {console},
             {solace}]
       2: cause to feel better; "the medicine soothes the pain of the
          inflammation" [ant: {irritate}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  80 Moby Thesaurus words for "soothe":
     abate, allay, alleviate, anesthetize, appease, assuage, balm,
     becalm, benumb, calm, calm down, cease, comfort, compose,
     conciliate, console, cool, cradle, cushion, deaden,
     deaden the pain, defuse, die down, diminish, dulcify, dull,
     dwindle, ease, ease matters, ebb, even out, foment, gentle,
     give relief, halt, hush, lay, lay the dust, lessen, lull, mitigate,
     molder, mollify, numb, pacify, pad, palliate, placate, poultice,
     pour balm into, pour balm on, pour oil on, propitiate, quell,
     quiesce, quiet, quieten, reduce, relieve, rest, rock,
     rock to sleep, salve, settle, slacken, slake, smooth, smooth down,
     smooth over, smoothen, soften, stabilize, steady, still, stop,
     stupe, subdue, subside, tranquilize, wane