soft-soaped
Used smooth talk
Soft-soaped means flattered or persuaded with excessive praise and smooth talk.
Someone who has been soft-soaped was won over through charm rather than honest argument: He soft-soaped her into lending him the car.
The term comes from soft soap—a liquid or semi-liquid soap—which became slang for flattery, something slippery applied to smooth things over.
Pleased by compliments
- sweet-talkedPersuaded through flattery
- complimentedOffered kind remarks
- praisedExpressed approval of
- adulatedPraised to excess
lauded · stroked · honeyed · sugared · smooth-talked · schmoozed · charmed · cajoled
Led to believe
- influencedChanged by external pressure
- swayedMoved or persuaded
- cajoledPersuaded through flattery
- wheedledPersuaded through flattery
coaxed · maneuvered · handled · played · finessed · massaged · nudged
Excessive insincere flattery
- sycophanticServilely flattering
- obsequiousServilely attentive to superiors
- unctuousExcessively and insincerely earnest
- smarmyInsincerely ingratiating
oleaginous · servile · toadying · bootlicking · groveling · cloying · oily · slick
flattered
Pleased by compliments
- sweet-talkedPersuaded through flattery
- complimentedOffered kind remarks
- praisedExpressed approval of
adulated · lauded · stroked · honeyed · sugared · smooth-talked · schmoozed · charmed · cajoled · wheedled
persuaded
Led to believe
- influencedChanged by external pressure
- swayedMoved or persuaded
- cajoledPersuaded through flattery
wheedled · coaxed · maneuvered · handled · played · finessed · massaged · nudged
fawning
Excessive insincere flattery
- sycophanticServilely flattering
- obsequiousServilely attentive to superiors
- unctuousExcessively and insincerely earnest
smarmy · oleaginous · servile · toadying · bootlicking · groveling · cloying · oily · slick · greasy
misled
Caused to believe falsely
hoodwinked · bamboozled · beguiled · tricked · fooled · snowed · gulled · suckered · played · had
- fawnedgroveled, kowtowed, toadied, flattered, curried favor
soft-soapedtold it like it is
Communicated harsh reality directly
set straight · disabused · called out · confronted · called a spade a spade
soft-soapedexcoriated
Harshly condemned or criticized
berated · lambasted · chewed out · ripped into · dressed down
soft, soap, soft-soap, softer, softest, softly, softness, soften, softens