soft 
soft (sôft, säft)
adjective
- giving way easily under pressure, as a feather pillow or moist clay
- easily cut, marked, shaped, or worn away, as pine wood or pure gold
- not hard for its kind; not as hard as is normal, desirable, etc. soft butter
- smooth or fine to the touch; not rough, harsh, or coarse
- bland; not acid, sour, or sharp
- easy to digest because free from roughage: said of a diet
- nonalcoholic: said of drinks
- having in solution few or none of the mineral salts that interfere with the lathering and cleansing properties of soap: said of water
- mild, gentle, or temperate, as a breeze, the weather, climate, etc.
- weak or delicate; not strong or vigorous; esp., not able to endure hardship, as because of easy living
- having flabby muscles
- requiring little effort; easy a soft job
- kind or gentle, esp. to the point of weakness; lenient or compassionate
- easily impressed, influenced, or imposed upon
- not bright, intense, or glaring; subdued: said of color or light
- showing little contrast or distinctness; not sharp in lines, tones, focus, etc., as a photograph
- gentle; low; not loud or harsh: said of sound
- based on data from interviews, surveys, etc., rather than from controlled, repeatable experiments soft evidence, soft sciences such as sociology
- replenished by nature, or capable of being used with relatively little damage to the natural environment solar power is a soft energy source
- providing information other than the basic facts of a news story features are soft news
- Finance
- unstable and declining: said of a market, prices, etc.
- not readily accepted as foreign exchange: said of certain currencies
- having very favorable terms: said of a loan
- Mil. above ground and vulnerable: said of targets or bases
- Phonet.: not used in these ways as a technical term by phoneticians
- designating c sounded as in voice or g sounded as in age
- voiced
- palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages are
- Radiology of low penetrating power: said of X-rays
Etymology: ME < OE softe, gentle, quiet < sefte, akin to Ger sanft < IE base *sem-, together, together with > smooth, same: basic sense “fitting, friendly, suited to”
adverb
softly; gently; quietly
noun
something soft
- be quiet; hush
- slow up; stop
be soft on
- to treat gently
- to feel affectionate or amorous toward
soft in the head
stupid or foolish
soft
modif.
Pliable
malleable, pliant, elastic; see flexible 1.Soft to the touch
smooth, satiny, velvety, silky, delicate, fine, thin, flimsy, limp, fluffy, feathery, flocculent, downy, woolly, pulpy, mellow, pasty, doughy, spongy, pithy, punky, mushy, mashy, soppy. Antonyms
harsh*, rough*, flinty. Soft to the eye
dull, dim, quiet, shaded, pale, pallid, light, pastel, ashen, wan, faint, blond, misty, hazy, dusky, delicate, tinted; see also gray 1, shady.Antonyms
bright*, glaring, brilliant. Soft to the ear
low, melodious, faraway; see faint 3.Soft in conduct
affectionate, considerate, courteous; see kind.Lacking training
*Easy
simple, effortless, manageable; see easy 2.
soft implies an absence or reduction of all that is harsh, rough, too intense, etc. so as to be pleasing to the senses soft colors, a soft voice; bland implies such an absence of irritation, stimulation, pungency, etc. in something as to make it soothing, unexciting, and hence, sometimes, uninteresting bland foods, climate, etc.; mild applies to that which is not as rough, harsh, irritating, etc. as it might be a mild cigarette, criticism, etc.; gentle, often equivalent to mild, carries a more positive connotation of being pleasantly soothing or tranquil a gentle breeze, voice, etc.
be soft on
soft in the head
Preposition: on
- crime: For politicians, nothing spells ruin so quickly as being perceived as being " soft on crime.
Adjective complement with noun phrase
- leave: It leaves the skin soft, smooth and soothed.
- keep: Adding ½ - ¾ cup of vinegar in the last rinse cycle will keep diapers soft.
Modifies a noun
- drink: Price includes a soft drink or glass of wine.
- toy: Young babies will stretch out to touch a soft toy that they could not yet hold alone.
- furnishing: Throw some bedding, clothing or soft furnishings out.
- tissue: The pressure of the leaking blood on the soft brain tissue destroys it.
- coral: The wreck diver may get bored with endless soft corals however beautiful they are.
- pellet: All of Simons fish were taken on soft pellet over pellet.
Modifying Another Word
- wonderfully: Made with organic cotton these are wonderfully soft giving maximum comfort.
- deliciously: The dish is wonderfully presented and the swordfish is deliciously soft.
- beautifully: Made from beautifully soft black lace with tie halterneck top.
- incredibly: The leather is incredibly soft, as you might expect from Spain, with a very fine grain and yet obviously durable.
- slightly: The Helix rods are a lightweight model, with a slightly softer action than the Horizon models.
- too: Pay attention to voice level: not too soft or too loud.
Used with adjective complement
- go: Don't make the mistake that we have gone soft.
- seem: But what I was trying to say is it seems softer than it used to.
- become: With its new cast, Push becomes softer, gentler, more modest.
- remain: It also absorbs liquid and will help ensure that the feces do not dry out, but remain soft.
- look: Another important factor when determining focusing is whether or not the pictures look softer toward the edges.
To rest, the cushion and soft Dean invite, Who never mentions Hell to ears polite.
Give me the plumpVenetian, fat, and lusty, That meets me soft and supple, smiles upon me As if a cup of full wine leaped to kiss me.
When you see millions of the mouthless dead Across your dreams in pale battalions go, Say not soft things as other men have said, That you'll remember. For you need not so. Give them not praise. For, deaf, how should they know It is not curses heaped on each gashed head?
I wanted your soft verges But you gave me the hard shoulder.
Browse dictionary entries near soft
- soft-boiled ›
- soft chancre ›
- soft coal ›
- soft copy ›
- soft-core ›
- soft dollars ›
- soft drink ›
- soft drug ›
- soft-finned ›
- soft handoff ›
Print this Page
Suggestion Box
Send to Friend
