relent
Americanverb (used without object)
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relents,
present (3rd person singular)
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relented,
past participle, past
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relenting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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relents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
relented,
past participle, past
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relenting
present participle
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Obsolete. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination.
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Obsolete. to cause to slacken; abate.
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Obsolete. to abandon; relinquish.
verb
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to change one's mind about some decided course, esp a harsh one; become more mild or amenable
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(of the pace or intensity of something) to slacken
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(of the weather) to become more mild
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relentsimple
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relentssimple
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have relentedperfect
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has relentedperfect
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am relentingprogressive
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are relentingprogressive
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is relentingprogressive
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have been relentingperfect progressive
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has been relentingperfect progressive
Past
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relentedsimple
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had relentedperfect
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was relentingprogressive
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were relentingprogressive
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had been relentingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing relent
The Breadwinner
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I Am Malala
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Twelve Days in May
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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:
The heat is expected to relent by the weekend with temperatures in the mid-80s and even a chance of light showers on Sunday as Hurricane Rachel continues its path across the Pacific Ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
"I kept holding on to the idea that they'd see the truth - they'd realise this was their grandchild, and they'd relent."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
But data from last month showed apparel makers appeared to relent, as costs from the Iran war and the U.S.-led trade war pile up.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
After years of holding out on active ETFs amid fears of cannibalizing existing, higher-fee strategies, many managers are starting to relent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
But I relent when she adds yogurt raisins to the trail.
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
The tires’ screechy chatter only relents as the car picks up momentum in second gear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
Do you foresee a day when the Prince estate relents and you can release the musical version with his songs on it?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
When Tevye relents, Motl launches into "Miracle of Miracles," celebrating the fact that the butcher's money couldn't buy him love, along with the fact that:
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2023
She relents, and I’m off down the hallway with her right behind me.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Worn down by pestering, our parents relented and allowed ginger ale at Sunday dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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
Kappe had argued that it wasn't necessary to wait but finally relented.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Iran’s leaders aren’t showing signs of relenting despite the continued attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
But this has been a challenging season for Newcastle and it shows no signs of relenting.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
He made that argument repeatedly, starting several decades ago and relenting only recently.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 24, 2025
Amazon, seemingly confident that the price will be small, has shown no signs of relenting.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
Then, relenting: “I’ve seen pictures of him with the Sitwells. And T. S. Eliot. Also—there’s rather a funny one of him with that actress—I can’t remember her name. She’s dead now.”
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
