Disarm

v.calm, kindwarm

What it means

Reduce another person's defensiveness, suspicion, or hostility through openness or warmth.

Reach for it when describing a response that makes a tense exchange safer and more receptive

Her willingness to admit the oversight helped disarm the frustrated audience.

everyday
charm
when personal appeal wins someone over
not when Charm can manipulate or delight without addressing suspicion honestly.
warm
put at ease
when comfort in a social setting is the goal
not when Ease is gentler than the shift from hostility implied by disarm.
warm
reassure
when easing fear is more important than reducing hostility
not when Reassurance may calm anxiety without changing a defensive stance.
professional
defuse
when preventing escalation in a volatile situation is central
not when Defuse treats the situation as dangerous and may sound too severe.
formal
conciliate
when deliberate concessions restore goodwill
not when Conciliation involves policy or action, not merely a winning manner.
literary
soften
when a hard attitude becomes more sympathetic
not when Soften can imply weakening someone rather than earning trust.

disarm suspicion
Publishing the raw figures helped disarm suspicion about the selection.
disarm with humor
He could disarm with humor without making light of the complaint.
disarm a critic
A careful demonstration may disarm a critic more effectively than argument.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.