relent

Plural: relents

Verb

Verb Forms: relented, relenting, relents

To soften in temper or become less harsh or severe.
give in, as to influence or pressure
To give in or be swayed; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to show clemency.
To slacken; to abate.
To lessen, make less severe or intense.
To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield, for example by dissolving or melting

Noun

Stay; stop; delay.
A relenting.

Adj

softhearted; yielding

Examples

He had planned to ground his son for a month, but relented and decided to give him a stern lecture instead.
He will not relent in his effort to reclaim his victory.
His opponent refused to RELENT, playing another high-scoring word.
We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English relenten, from Anglo-Norman relentir, from Latin re- + lentare (“to bend”), from lentus (“soft, pliant, slow”). Earliest recording dates to 1526.

Synonyms

soften, yield

Antonyms

stand

Scrabble Score: 6

relent: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
relent: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
relent: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

relent: valid Words With Friends Word