RELENTS Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

relents

verb

present tense third-person singular of relent

as in succumbs

to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) the supervisor finally relented in the face of the petition, and allowed employees to take longer lunch breaks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in subsides

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the fury of the storm relented, and the next day the sun finally broke through the clouds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of relents In the early evening in Seville, when the heat relents, Sevillanos take a paseo, or leisurely stroll. — Tia Welch Maerz, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2025 One partner relents to the other’s wishes, without presenting their own needs and wants. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 Donal eventually relents, however, after his venue burns down in a convenient plot device. — Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025 This grade slips to a C+ if Arizona eventually relents and grants Pro-Bowl pass rusher Josh Sweat’s trade request. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026 When utilities and grid operators push back, FERC generally relents. — Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relents

Verb

With three days to go before Krypto succumbs to the slow-acting agent, Supergirl sets out on a cosmic adventure to retrieve the antidote, confronting her emotional trauma along the way.

— Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
If someone succumbs to the heat, promptly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.

— Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

Definition of succumbs

Verb

After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.

— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Then the climax subsides for a lovely coda of strings, accompanied by a denouement in which the now casually clad, contemporary-looking singer smashes up her play set in the apartment where she’s presumably been brooding over all this stuff.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2026

Definition of subsides

Verb

The media business always goes through some splitting of cells — meiosis and mitosis — but every industry leader concedes that consolidation is especially needed today.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 June 2026
The waiver concedes a major point of potential leverage at the start of these 60-day talks.

— Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 19 June 2026

Definition of concedes

Verb

Previous research has demonstrated that direct exposure to nature significantly reduces physiological stress, lowers heart rates and decreases levels of stress hormones, like cortisol.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
This risk decreases as the storm moves away.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2026

Definition of decreases

Verb

Schools have 15 days to respond once a parent submits a letter requesting their child be tested for dyslexia.

— Samuel O’Neal Updated June 23, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
Michaels adamantly submits that the answer is not submission in silence but a strong determination to fight for a party that once stood for America’s vision of liberty and justice for all, regardless of race or religion.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026