relent

About 0.31 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb To give in or be swayed; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to show clemency.

   He had planned to ground his son for a month, but relented and decided to give him a stern lecture instead.

2. verb To slacken; to abate.

   We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.

3. verb To lessen, make less severe or intense.
4. verb To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield, for example by dissolving or melting
5. noun A stay; a stop; a delay.
6. noun A relenting.
7. adjective Softhearted; yielding.

Similar words

soften yield relax ease slacken relinquish recede loosen release unbend

Often followed by

and in on to until a towards at from

Word family

relented relenting relents