soft-soap

verb
UK: /ˈsɒft səʊp/
US: /ˈsɔːft soʊp/

  1. To praise someone in order to get them to agree with you or do what you want.

    1. He tried to soft-soap me into lending him money, but I refused.
    2. The company is trying to soft-soap investors with overly optimistic projections.

Synonyms

flattery wheedle cajole sweet-talk
soft-soap noun

  1. Flattery or insincere praise used to persuade someone.

    1. Don't fall for his soft-soap, he just wants your vote.
    2. The politician's speech was full of soft-soap and empty promises to the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "soft-soap" is /ˈsɒft səʊp/ in British English and /ˈsɔːft soʊp/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "soft-soap": flattery, wheedle, cajole, sweet-talk.

Example usage of "soft-soap": "He tried to soft-soap me into lending him money, but I refused.". More examples on the page.