Synonyms

relent

American

[ri-lent] / rɪˈlɛnt /

verb (used without object)

to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving.

Synonyms:

yield, bend
to become less severe; slacken.

The winds relented.

verb (used with object)

Obsolete. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination.
Obsolete. to cause to slacken; abate.
Obsolete. to abandon; relinquish.

relent British

/ rɪˈlɛnt /

verb

to change one's mind about some decided course, esp a harsh one; become more mild or amenable
(of the pace or intensity of something) to slacken
(of the weather) to become more mild

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of relent

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin *relentāre, equivalent to Latin re- re- + lentāre to bend, derivative of lentus flexible, viscous, slow

Explanation

Being unwilling to relent is a good qualification for a sales person. You have to keep trying to make the sale and never give in until you've made it. The root of relent is the Latin lentus, which means "to slow down or soften." The original meaning, from the 15th century, most likely had to do with the heart — as in "to stop resisting love." Now, however, relent can have all manner of applications, but the meaning is always the same: to let up, soften, yield or give in. Often, you'll hear the adjective relentless used to describe someone who won't relent: "The firemen refused to relent; they banged relentlessly on the door until I woke up."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

relent relents relented relenting

There’s little indication that purchase-price pressures will relent soon.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Wembanyama stops drive after drive, but the Knicks don’t relent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Government "won't relent in our fight against antisemitism and terror".

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Sure, I can relent that “Project Hail Mary” is less urgent than this year’s best picture winner, “One Battle After Another,” and not as hyper-specifically relevant to our times as “Eddington.”

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

Something tells me I can’t relent on him.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

When he finally relents, she discovers that the invading Nazi army has razed her shtetl and that its inhabitants, including her parents, are gone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

One agent blocks one of the men helping Parias by the car door, but quickly relents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024

This glimmer of empathy is struck in the middle of a mess they’re both standing in, one in which the plumber could abandon the intellectual but relents, realizing she’s done nothing to deserve such inhumanity.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2024

I wait her out, and she relents, pulling her fingers from mine and sitting back down.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

The Football Association and the Football League relented before the start of the 1979-80 season, but sponsors' logos still had to be removed for televised games and all cup ties.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

After some back and forth, McElwee relented, letting Adrian try his slow zooms and dynamic shots.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

While Platner—whose lead in the race had evaporated after a previous wave of stories about his relationship history—has not yet relented, he has suggested that he’s reassessing his run.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Ohtani eventually relented a second run with two outs in the fourth inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

When the Allies threatened to invade, the Germans relented.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Iran’s leaders aren’t showing signs of relenting despite the continued attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The relatively benign positioning outlook then allows JPMorgan to concentrate more on the fundamental momentum that shows no signs of relenting in the tech/AI space that is now broadening out into industrials and financials.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

Now, it seems, the nuclear engineers are relenting.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

UC says it negotiated over government asks to provide employee data — first offering redacted files — before relenting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

Then days and months grew full and waned, the year went wheeling round, the seasons came again, before at last the power of Iphiklos, relenting, freed the prisoner, who foretold all things to him.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023