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• n  the process of becoming softer
  refrigeration delayed the softening of the fruit
  he observed the softening of iron by heat
• v  make (images or sounds) soft or softer
• v  lessen in force or effect
• v  give in, as to influence or pressure
• v  protect from impact
• v  make less severe or harsh
• v  make soft or softer
• v  become soft or softer
• s  having a softening or soothing effect especially to the skin

• But I think that Merkel, 52, will push reform to the point of inevitability, softening her determination by unobtrusiveness and an aura of competence.
• Now there are signs the policy may be softening, even in urban areas.
• This is to be a day of image softening, and another magazine's crew is waiting to do a family photo shoot.

• soften
• dampen
• damp
• weaken
• break
• yield
• relent
• cushion
• buffer
• mince
• moderate
• demulcent
• emollient
• salving

• sharpen
• stand
• harden

News & Articles

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• Easing inflation fails to bolster RBI rate cut hopes
  By Suvashree Dey Choudhury MUMBAI (Reuters) - Softening headline inflation alone will no longer be enough to spur the Reserve Bank of India to cut interest rates at a time when it faces other pressing ...
  June 14, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! Finance
• European growth still on US agenda, not as loudly
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A year after President Barack Obama made an emphatic pitch to Europe's economic powers to focus more on economic growth than austerity, much of the eurozone remains mired in or near recession. Obama's appeals have had mixed results in softening the demands on some of the most debt-ridden European nations to cut their spending.
  June 14, 2013 - Associated Press via Yahoo! News
• D.C. Gridlock Slicing Into Services of Cities Across U.S.
  Philadelphia is scrounging for money to reduce child lead poisoning. Mesa, Arizona ’s sales- tax revenue is softening as Boeing Co. (BA) suppliers cut back. Oklahoma City anticipates less spending from its largest employer, Tinker Air Force Base.
  June 14, 2013 - Bloomberg

Quotes

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• Ben Bernanke in Bloomberg
  Bernanke said yesterday in the symposium's opening speech that "the financial storm that reached gale force" last year "has not yet subsided, and its effects on the broader economy are becoming apparent in the form of softening economic...
• Glenn Stevens in MarketWatch
  Surveys suggest a softening in business activity, and there have also been early signs of an easing in labor market conditions,wrote Stevens.
• Doug Parker in Washington Post
  As we begin 2008, our industry appears to be headed for another difficult period due to extremely high oil prices and a potentially softening economy,Parker said in a statement.