Difference between Softens and Damp

SOFTENS vs DAMP: NOUN

A restraint or check; a discouragement.
A poisonous vapor; specifically, in mining, a stifling or poisonous gas. See black-damp, fire-damp.
Lowness of spirits; depression.
Foul or poisonous gas that sometimes pollutes the air in coal mines.
Moisture that lies or has condensed on something.
Moisture in the air; humidity.
A slight wetness
Moist air; humidity; moisture.
Moisture; humidity; dampness.
A damp consisting chiefly of light carbureted hydrogen; -- so called from its tendence to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.
Fog; fogginess; vapor.
A curtain in a mine gallery to direct air currents and prevent accumulation of gas.
A damp consisting principally of carbonic acid gas; -- so called from its extinguishing flame and animal life. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic.
A gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pints, etc.
Dejection; depression; cloud of the mind.
Moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor.
The popular name of a disease which attacks young seedlings and succulent plants, causing them to rot off near the surface of the ground.
Depression of spirits; dejection.
A check; a discouragement.
A fog.

To render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen.
To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage.

To make damp or moist; moisten.
To suppress or extinguish (a fire) by reducing or cutting off air.
To restrain or check; discourage.
To slow or stop the vibrations of (the strings of a keyboard instrument) with a damper.
To decrease the amplitude of (an oscillating system).

To suffocate with damp or foul air in a mine. [Eng.]
To check or retard the force or action of: as, to damp a fire by covering it with ashes; especially, to diminish the range or amplitude of vibrations in, as a piano-string, by causing a resistance to the motions of the vibrating body.
To make dull or weak and indistinct, as a sound or a light; obscure; deaden.
To depress; deject; discourage; deaden; check; weaken.
Specifically To diminish or destroy the oscillation of (a metallic body in motion in a magnetic field).
[Dampen is now more common in the literal sense, and is sometimes used in the derived senses.]
Synonyms To moderate, allay, dispirit.
In horticulture, to rot or waste away, as the stems and leaves of seedlings and other tender plants, when the soil and atmosphere in which they are vegetating are too wet or cold: with off: as, flower-seedlings in hotbeds are especially liable to damp off.
To moisten; make humid or moderately wet; dampen.
Synonyms Humid, Dank, etc. See moist.
To extinguish; smother; suffocate.
Moist; humid; moderately wet: as, a damp cloth; damp air.
Clammy.

Reduces, Lessens, Relents, Eases, Lightens, Yield, Mince, Buffer, Damp, Break, Cushion, Moderate, Relent, Dampen, Weaken

Dank, Muggy, Humid, Tone down, Mute, Break, Weaken, Muffle, Soften, Moistness, Deaden, Dampen, Dull, Moist, Wet

Thickens, Fades, Dries, Brightens, Commutes, Ease, Yield, Mince, Buffer, Damp, Break, Cushion, Moderate, Dampen, Weaken

Humidity, Dank, Muggy, Humid, Tone down, Mute, Break, Weaken, Muffle, Soften, Deaden, Dampen, Dull, Moist, Wet

Wipe the window clean with a damp cloth.
Can I dye my wet or damp hair?
Clean by wiping with a soft damp cloth.
Are There Any Problems with Damp or Mold?
The damp wood had swollen in its frame.
Damp proof membrane A damp proof membrane is required for all floors of habitable buildings to prevent moisture rising from the ground below.
Damage: These crickets live in cool dark and damp habitats like caves, plumbing, under rocks, damp basements and inside privies.
If you notice damp in the floor or lower portion of the walls, it is likely rising damp.
Any damp smells can be an indication of water leaks or even rising damp.
How to Clean: Apply with a damp sponge or damp cloth.