Relent vs Relinquish - What's the difference?
relent | relinquish |
To become less severe or intense; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to soften in temper; to become more mild and tender; to feel compassion.
* Shakespeare
To slacken; to abate.
(obsolete) To lessen, make less severe or fast.
* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iv:
(dated) To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield; to dissolve; to melt; to deliquesce.
* Boyle
* Alexander Pope
To give up, abandon or retire from something.
To let go (free, away), physically release.
To metaphorically surrender, yield control or possession.
* 2011 , Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15210221.stm]
To accept to give up, withdraw etc.
Relinquish is a synonym of relent.
As verbs the difference between relent and relinquish
is that relent is to become less severe or intense; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to soften in temper; to become more mild and tender; to feel compassion while relinquish is to give up, abandon or retire from something.As a noun relent
is stay; stop; delay.relent
English
Derived terms
* relentlessVerb
(en verb)- He relented of his plan to murder his opponent, and decided just to teach him a lesson instead.
- I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other. (from "The Remains of the Day"? by Kazuo Ishiguro)
- Can you behold / My sighs and tears, and will not once relent ?
- We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.
- He will not relent in his effort to reclaim his victory.
- But nothing might relent her hastie flight; / So deepe the deadly feare of that foule swaine / Was earst impressed in her gentle spright [...].
- [Salt of tartar] placed in a cellar will begin to relent .
- When opening buds salute the welcome day, / And earth, relenting , feels the genial ray.
relinquish
English
Verb
(es)- to relinquish a title
- to relinquish property
- to relinquish rights
- to relinquish citizenship or nationality
- But it was the most fleeting of false dawns. Dmitri Yachvilli slotted a penalty from distance after Flood failed to release his man on the deck, and France took a grip they would never relinquish .
- ''The delegations saved the negotiations by relinquishing their incompatible claims to sole jurisdiction