Soften vs Mellow - What's the difference?
soften | mellow |
To make something soft or softer.
To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up ).
To make less harsh
* '>citation
To become soft or softer
Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp.
Easily worked or penetrated; not hard or rigid.
* Drayton
Not coarse, rough, or harsh; subdued, soft, rich, delicate; said of sound, color, flavor, style, etc.
* Wordsworth
* Thomson
* Percival
Well matured; softened by years; genial; jovial.
* Wordsworth
* Washington Irving
Relaxed; calm; easygoing; laid-back.
*{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
, title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=3 Warmed by liquor, slightly intoxicated; or, stoned, high.
To make mellow; to relax or soften.
* J. C. Shairp
To become .
As verbs the difference between soften and mellow
is that soften is to make something soft or softer while mellow is to make mellow; to relax or soften.As a adjective mellow is
soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp.As a noun mellow is
a relaxed mood.soften
English
Verb
(en verb)- Soften the butter before beating in the sugar.
- Before the invasion, we softened up the enemy with the artillery.
- Having second thoughts, I softened my criticism.
- The butter softened as it warmed up.
See also
* mollify * neshen English ergative verbs English intransitive verbs English transitive verbsmellow
English
Adjective
(en-adj)- a mellow apple
- a mellow soil
- flowers of rank and mellow glebe
- the mellow horn
- the mellow -tasted Burgundy
- The tender flush whose mellow stain imbues / Heaven with all freaks of light.
- May health return to mellow age.
- as merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound
citation, passage=Here the stripped panelling was warmly gold and the pictures, mostly of the English school, were mellow and gentle in the afternoon light.}}
- (Addison)
Derived terms
* mellownessVerb
(en verb)- (Shakespeare)
- The fervour of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age.