soften the blow
Lessen the hurt
To soften the blow is to make bad news or an unpleasant situation easier to bear.
The blow is metaphorical—disappointment, rejection, loss—and softening it means cushioning the impact: She tried to soften the blow by praising his other qualities before delivering the criticism.
A severance package softens the blow of being laid off.
Sometimes nothing can.
- cushionStuffed fabric for comfort
- euphemizeExpress harshly indirectly
- alleviateLessen pain or trouble
- comfortEase or soothing relief
- easeLack of strain
absorb · soothe · reframe · pad · mitigate · relieve · palliate · sugarcoat · mollify · gentle · moderate · sugarcoat the pill · take the edge off · assuage · let someone down gently · gentle letdown · buffer · temper
soften the blowtwist the knife
Intensify someone's anguish deliberately
rub salt in the wound · not mince words · tell it like it is · lay it on the line · pull no punches
soften the blowmake it worse
exacerbate · aggravate · pile on · add fuel to the fire · let them have it
soften, soft, softly, softness, softener, softer, softest, blow, blows