A soft answer turns away wrath

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Meaning

A calm, gentle reply can defuse another person's anger and prevent a quarrel from escalating. Traditional and slightly formal. It describes de-escalation rather than surrender. Regional use: Biblical English; now a traditional proverb.

Origin

Proverbs 15:1 supplies the maxim. The Wycliffe Bible has a soft answer breaketh ire, while the King James Version later fixed the now familiar turns away wrath. The principle and most of the English wording are therefore medieval, but the exact verb-and-noun combination is early modern. Soft here means mild or gentle, not weak or evasive.

Research Sources

  1. Bible Gateway: Proverbs 15:1 in English translations Bible Gateway
  2. Dictionary.com: a soft answer turneth away wrath Dictionary.com

Variants

  • A gentle answer turns away wrath

Usage Examples

  • He lowered his voice, remembering that a soft answer turns away wrath.
  • A soft answer turned away wrath before the complaint became a quarrel.
  • The receptionist proved that a soft answer can turn away wrath without conceding the point.

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