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Synonyms

soothing

American  
[soo-thing] / ˈsu ðɪŋ /

adjective

  1. that soothes.

    a soothing voice.

  2. tending to assuage pain.

    a soothing cough syrup.
ˈsoothing British  
/ ˈsuːðɪŋ /

adjective

  1. having a calming, assuaging, or relieving effect

"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

Other Word Forms

  • oversoothing adjective
  • oversoothingly adverb
  • self-soothing adjective
  • soothingly adverb
  • soothingness noun
  • unsoothing adjective
  • unsoothingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of soothing

First recorded in 1590–1600; soothe + -ing 2

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.

He went from fungus to fungus, gathering, soothing, sticking the stems back in the dirt.

From Literature

Tom has a more pressing motive than soothing petulance over illustrations.

From The Wall Street Journal

You might be tempted, with every faraway look in Christian Petzold’s subtly moving “Miroirs No. 3,” to hope for that soothing, enlightened release so often served as catharsis in tales of loss and healing.

From Los Angeles Times

Then the Prime Minister’s voice was speaking to us, sonorous and soothing.

From Literature

“Come on, dear,” she said in a soothing tone, “let’s have that table over here.”

From Literature

Definitions 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.