relent

American  

[ri-lent] / rɪˈlɛnt /

verb (used without object)

• relents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relented,
  past participle,  past
• relenting
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   yield, bend

2. to become less severe; slacken.

   The winds relented.

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verb (used with object)

• relents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relented,
  past participle,  past
• relenting
  present participle

1. Obsolete. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination.

2. Obsolete. to cause to slacken; abate.

3. Obsolete. to abandon; relinquish.

relent British  

/ rɪˈlɛnt /

verb

1. to change one's mind about some decided course, esp a harsh one; become more mild or amenable

2. (of the pace or intensity of something) to slacken

3. (of the weather) to become more mild

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrelenting
  adjective
• unrelented
  adjective
• relentingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• relenting
  present
• relented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• relent
  simple
• relents
  simple
• have relented
  perfect
• has relented
  perfect
• am relenting
  progressive
• are relenting
  progressive
• is relenting
  progressive
• have been relenting
  perfect progressive
• has been relenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• relented
  simple
• had relented
  perfect
• was relenting
  progressive
• were relenting
  progressive
• had been relenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will relent
  simple
• will have relented
  perfect
• will be relenting
  progressive
• will have been relenting
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relent relents relented relenting

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

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

Then surely the High King would relent and put the crown on the head of the prince with the most power, the one with the military on his side.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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

If James relents on his no-trade clause, the Lakers can send him to a contender for one last hurrah.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024

“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’m coming! I’m coming to drop off my mother,” she tells Rosa Amalia, who relents.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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

But Sinner had made up his mind and, with his parents as advocates, Piatti relented.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Germany, which had opposed the release, relented partly out of solidarity with countries such as Japan that were hit hard by the disruption to oil markets, one official said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Or by sticking to my one-person strike until—who knows?—she eventually relented and let us drive her to the nearest ER or at least sat down?

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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

Amazon, seemingly confident that the price will be small, has shown no signs of relenting.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024

“Brave heartP said the kestrel. “Might we give him the Triumph Song?” asked Balin, relenting.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• acquiesce
• capitulate
• cave in
• come around
• comply
• ease off
• give in
• give up
• let go
• quit
• relax
• slacken
• soften
• subside