abate, adjust to, allay, alleviate, allow for, alter, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, bank the fire, benumb, blunt, box in, camouflage, chasten, circumscribe, cloak, color, conceal, condition, condone, constrain, control, cushion, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, diminish, disguise, dissemble, downplay, dull, ease, ease matters, excuse, extenuate, foment, give relief, gloss over, hedge, hedge about, hush up, ignore, keep within bounds, lay, leaven, lenify, lessen, lighten, limit, lull, make allowance for, mask, mince, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, narrow, numb, obtund, pad, play down, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, prettify, qualify, reduce, reduce the temperature, regulate by, relieve, restrain, restrict, salve, season, set conditions, set limits, slacken, slake, slow down, slur over, smother, sober, sober down, soft-pedal, soften, soothe, stifle, stupe, subdue, sugarcoat, suppress, tame, temper, tone down, tune down, underplay, varnish, veneer, weaken, white, whiten, whitewash