soothe
To make someone feel calmer or to make pain gentler.
soothe in a sentence
- Mum's soft humming soothed the crying baby to sleep.
- A spoonful of honey helped to soothe Ben's sore throat after all that cheering at the match.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to soothe?
- Aupset
- Bworry
- Ccalm
- Dannoy
Show the answer
C: calm. The other three mean the opposite of soothe.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to soothe?
- Aease
- Bupset
- Ccalm
- Dcomfort
Show the answer
B: upset. The other three mean nearly the same as soothe.
Words that mean something similar
calm, comfort, ease
Words that mean the opposite
upset, annoy, worry
Careful: soothe is not appease
Appease calms someone by giving in. Soothe calms someone by comforting them. Read why children mix them up.
More words about emotions & feelings
- spellbound: So amazed or interested that you cannot look away.
- subdued: Quieter and less lively than usual.
- sullen: Silent and bad-tempered, refusing to be cheerful.
- tantalise: To tease someone by showing them something they want but cannot have.
- temptation: A strong wish to do something, especially something you know you shouldn't.
- tender: Gentle, loving and soft.
- torment: To cause a person or animal great suffering or annoyance, often again and again.
- trepidation: A nervous, fearful feeling about something that is going to happen.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test