unhardens
Loses its rigidity
To unharden is to make something soft or pliable that was previously hard, or to reverse a hardening process.
The word appears most often in figurative contexts: Time unhardens even the most rigid positions.
In technical use, it can describe reversing material treatments: The process unhardens the steel, making it workable again.
Reduces intensity or hardness
- loosensDecreases tightness or tension
- relaxesBecomes less tense
- yieldsGives forth results
- givesTransfers possession freely
flexes · bends · pliable · supple · malleable · ductile · workable · moldable
softens
Reduces intensity or hardness
gives · flexes · bends · pliable · supple · malleable · ductile · workable · moldable · formable
softens
Reduces intensity or hardness
warms · opens · yields · forgives · gentles · eases · unbends · loosens · compassion · empathy
annealing
Heat-softening of metals
- temperingControlled heating and cooling
- forgingShaping heated metal; faking documents
- quenchingRapid cooling process
normalizing · malleable · ductile · workable · formable · plasticity · metal · steel · iron · smithing
unhardenshardens
Becomes firm or solid
stiffens · solidifies · sets · rigidifies · petrifies