different between soothe vs subdue

English

Etymology

From Middle English sothen (“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English s?þian (“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-Germanic *sanþ?n? (“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?es- (“to be”). Cognate with Danish sande (“to verify”), Swedish sanna (“to verify”), Icelandic sanna (“to verify”), Gothic ???????????????????????? (suþjan), ???????????????????????? (suþj?n, “to soothe”). See also: sooth.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /su?ð/
• Rhymes: -u?ð

Verb

soothe (third-person singular simple present soothes, present participle soothing, simple past and past participle soothed)

1. (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Andros Townsend calms England's nerves in taming of Montenegro (in The Guardian, 11 October 2013)[1]

     Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, to soothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job.

2. (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
3. (transitive, rare) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
4. (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
5. (transitive) To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
   • 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker

     I am a cider drinker,

     I drinks it all of the day,

     I am a cider drinker,

     it soothes all me troubles away,

6. (intransitive) To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
7. (intransitive) To bring comfort or relief.
8. (transitive) To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
9. (transitive, obsolete) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
11. (transitive, obsolete) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.

Synonyms

• (humour by agreement or concession): comply, give way; See also Thesaurus:accede

Derived terms

• soothing, soothsayer

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English subdewen, subduen, sodewen, from Old French souduire, from Latin subd?c? (“to draw away”), perhaps influenced by subd? (“to subdue, subject”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /s?b?du/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /s?b?dju?/, /s?b?d?u?/, /s?b-/
• Rhymes: -u?
• Hyphenation: sub?due

Verb

subdue (third-person singular simple present subdues, present participle subduing, simple past and past participle subdued)

1. To overcome, quieten, or bring under control.
2. To bring (a country) under control by force.

Synonyms

• underbring

Related terms

Translations