unharden
Reverse the tempering
To unharden is to make something softer or less rigid—the reverse of hardening.
The word appears most often in technical contexts: unhardening steel by heating it, or unhardening a protective coating.
Figuratively, to unharden a heart is to make someone more receptive or compassionate: Years of kindness finally unhardened him.
Change from solid
- liquefyConvert to liquid state
- thawReturn to liquid
- defrostRemove ice accumulation
- dissolveDisperse into liquid
heat · warm · molten · liquidize · deliquesce · smelt · anneal · temper
Cease resistance or severity
compromise · reconcile · sympathize · empathize · merciful · lenient · compassionate · flexible
soften
Make less firm
gentle · malleable · pliant · relax · ease · smooth · cushion · doughy · knead · massage
melt
Change from solid
dissolve · heat · warm · molten · liquidize · deliquesce · smelt · anneal · temper · deice
relent
Cease resistance or severity
forgive · compromise · reconcile · sympathize · empathize · merciful · lenient · compassionate · flexible · open
unhardenharden
Make or become firm
toughen · steel oneself · callous · indurate · desensitize