word
Aufweichung
soften
Definition & meaning
Aufweichung is a feminine noun meaning softening or loosening. Its meaning depends on context:
- Literal: the process of becoming soft, often because something absorbs water or moisture.
- Figurative: the weakening or easing of rules, boundaries, demands, or a previously firm position. It can also suggest that a principle or standard has been diluted.
Grammar & Word origin
- Gender: feminine — die Aufweichung
- Plural: die Aufweichungen
- Word parts: aufweichen (“to soften” or “to loosen”) + -ung, a suffix that forms nouns describing an action or process. The verb combines auf- with weich (“soft”).
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms:
- Erweichung — softening, especially in a physical or material sense.
- Lockerung — loosening or relaxation; often used for rules or restrictions, without necessarily implying that a standard has been diluted.
- Abschwächung — weakening or mitigation, especially of a statement, effect, or position.
- Verwässerung — dilution; often implies that the original force, clarity, or substance has been reduced.
Antonyms:
- Verhärtung — hardening; the opposite of physical softening, and sometimes used figuratively for becoming less flexible.
- Verschärfung — tightening or making something stricter, especially rules or measures.
- Festigung — strengthening or consolidation, rather than weakening or loosening.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Die Aufweichung des Materials dauerte Stunden.noun
The softening of the material took hours.
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