Softening

How to spell softening

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce softening

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does softening mean?

1. verbMaking or becoming softer, gentler, or less harsh.

Softening in a sentence

• The company is softening its policy on remote work after staff complaints.

• Leaving the butter on the counter is softening it before you bake.

Where does softening come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word builds on the native English adjective 'soft', which comes from Old English 'softe', an earlier form 'sefte' meaning gentle, smooth, or agreeable to the senses. The same Germanic root appears in the Dutch 'zacht' and German 'sanft', both carrying that idea of gentleness. English speakers later attached the productive suffix '-en' to turn the adjective into a verb 'soften', meaning to make or become soft, following the same pattern seen in 'harden', 'darken', and 'lighten'. Adding '-ing' gives the present participle and gerund 'softening'. The spelling trap is invisible in speech: the 't' of 'soften' is silent, so writers hear 'sof-ning' and must remember to keep the 't' that the parent word 'soft' still shows on the page.

How the word is built

• soft (root: not hard)
• -en (verb-forming suffix: to make or become)
• -ing (present participle/gerund)