soften vs dampen

soften and dampen both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
soften	No	No	Yes	No
dampen	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, soften and dampen are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of soften include break, damp, weaken.

As verbs, dampen is a hyponym of soften; that is, dampen is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than soften:

Other hyponyms of soften include deafen, damp, deaden.

As verbs, dampen is a hyponym of soften; that is, dampen is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than soften:

Other hyponyms of soften include damp, dull, muffle, mute, tone down.

soften (verb)	dampen (verb)
become soft or softer	lessen in force or effect
make soft or softer	make moist
lessen in force or effect	check; keep in check (a fire)
make less severe or harsh	make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible
protect from impact	reduce the amplitude (of oscillations or waves)
make (images or sounds) soft or softer	suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity
give in, as to influence or pressure	deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping