Compliment
Compliment verb - To express to (someone) admiration for his or her success or good fortune.
Soften is an antonym for compliment.
Soften
Soften verb - To diminish the physical strength of.
Common collocations
| character | compliment character | soften character |
| appearance | compliment appearance | soften appearance |
| use | compliment use | soften use |
| opponent | compliment opponent | soften opponent |
| Other words: enemies. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- James Whistler and George Bernard Shaw insult the Prince Of Wales and blame each other, only for each accused to soften the insult with a compliment associated with it.
Source: Lame Comeback -
In Heir to the Jedi, the character Fayet Kelen, owner of Kelen Biolabs, would often do this with his minions (he actually called his employees "minions") but then would soften it by doing something like giving them a compliment or asking about their family.
Source: You, Get Me Coffee
Cite this Source
Soften and Compliment. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/compliment/soften
Compliment & Soften. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/compliment/soften>.
Soften or Compliment. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/compliment/soften.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "compliment" and "soften" have occurred on timeline