1
soften sth
You can soften the butter in the microwave.
你可以在微波炉里软化黄油。
使变软；使变柔和
softened — past of soften
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
使变软；使变柔和
make something soft or softer
You can soften the butter in the microwave.
你可以在微波炉里软化黄油。
可指使物体变软，或使声音、光线、画面等变得柔和。
使某物变软或更软
To make something soft or softer.
削弱某人的士气(常用作soften up)
To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up).
使不那么严厉
To make less harsh.
变软或更软
To become soft or softer.
soften
Base
原形
softens
3rd person
第三人称单数
softening
-ing
现在分词
softened
Past
过去式
softened
Past participle
过去分词
I soften the butter.
我把黄油变软。
He softens the clay.
他把粘土变软。
She is softening the sugar.
她正在把糖变软。
They softened the material.
他们使材料变软。
It has softened.
它已经变软了。
The heat softened the butter, making it easy to spread.
热使黄油变软，很容易涂抹。
Her voice softened as she spoke to the child.
她对孩子说话时，声音变得柔和了。
You can soften the vegetables by cooking them for a few minutes.
你可以把蔬菜煮几分钟使其变软。
You can soften the butter in the microwave.
你可以在微波炉里软化黄油。
此短语动词意为“削弱…的抵抗力”。
The soldiers tried to soften up the enemy with artillery.
士兵们试图用炮火削弱敌人。
The butter softened in the heat.
黄油在高温下变软了。
Not this
I want to soft the butter.
Use this
I want to soften the butter.
“soft”是形容词，不能直接作动词，应使用动词“soften”。
Not this
The bread is soften.
Use this
The bread is soft.
“soften”是动词，不能作形容词；表示状态应用形容词“soft”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
减轻打击
He tried to soften the blow with a joke.
他试图用笑话来减轻打击。
柔化光线
She used a lampshade to soften the light.
她用灯罩柔化光线。
使某人变心软
The puppy's eyes softened her heart.
小狗的眼神使她心软了。
减轻冲击
The airbag softened the impact of the crash.
安全气囊减轻了碰撞的冲击。
缓和语气
He softened his tone when he saw her upset.
看到她难过，他缓和了语气。
软化态度
The manager softened his attitude after the discussion.
讨论后经理的态度软化了。
缓和打击，减轻冲击
He tried to soften the blow by telling her gently.
他试图通过温和地告诉她来减轻打击。
劝诱某人，使某人软化
She softened him up with flattery before asking for a favor.
她在请求帮忙之前先用恭维话软化他。
铺平道路，打基础
The CEO's visit softened the ground for the new partnership.
CEO的访问为新的合作伙伴关系铺平了道路。
Use softened naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象硬面包（hard）被揉捏后变软（soften），音似‘嗖佛腾’——像佛轻轻一吹就柔和了。
通常用于描述物体变软或态度、语气等变得温和，在口语和书面语中均常见，具体与抽象用法均有。
These words all end in '-en' and often contain a silent 't' (as in often, listen, fasten, moisten, christen), whereas the 't' in 'soften' is pronounced. None are exact rhymes due to vowel differences and the presence of a schwa in the second syllable of these words (e.g., /ən/) compared to the syllabic /n/ in 'soften'.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.