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soft

soft

254 1.0
Gentle and not strong for light or sound
  • adjective
  • /sɔft/
: suave
  • The chamber was flooded with a soft, blue-green light, like an undersea scene.
  • soft-spoken
  • a soft voice
  • soft music

So it's more of a sweet, soft, mild, not sharp.

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Examples

  • The music being played was soft and soothing, perfect for a quiet evening.

  • Wow, this smells so good, like a soft rose kind of scent.

  • And the answer was really soft, soft words.

  • And it looks so like soft focus and pretty.

  • To my eye, it looks just very soft and very sweet.

  • Just type in something crazy like soft green falling leaves.

  • And it's like the key to really soft, really gorgeous skin.

  • It's quite a soft sort of glow.

  • The color of the walls should be soft shades, such as beige and light gray.

    Academic text (2008)
  • As if in reply, there was a soft hooting cry of an owl in the forest.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

gentle
vssoft
408 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

is used more for sensory mildness like light or sound
light
vssoft
307 1.0

Not strong and small in amount

is wider in use and applies to many kinds of mildness
tender
vssoft
126 1.6

Showing care and kindness in a gentle way

is used for sensory or force-related mildness rather than emotion
mild
vssoft
32 1.0

Weather that is not very cold or hot and feels pleasant

is broader and applies across light, color, sound, and many actions
diffuse
vssoft
18 6.4

Spread out over a large area and not in one place

focuses on mildness and lack of intensity rather than spatial spread
balmy
vssoft
17 3.0

Weather that is pleasantly warm and mild

is used for mild qualities generally, not only pleasant warmth
subdued
vssoft
13 4.2

Soft and not bright, like pale colors or quiet sounds

is more general and not limited to muted or restrained forms
velvety
vssoft
12 3.8

Smooth and very soft in touch, look, sound, or taste

is not limited to tactile richness and covers many mild qualities
diffused
vssoft
2 4.4

Light that spreads out and looks soft, not in one direction

covers many mild senses beyond the visual effect of spreading
lightish
vssoft
1 3.7

A little paler in color or not very heavy

is the broader word for gentle presence across senses
1 3.6

Very soft to the touch like velvet

is the ordinary term for low intensity, not a vivid tactile image
softish
vssoft
1 3.0

Having a little give when you press it

is the general term for low intensity across different senses

Antonyms

775 1.0

Having a very strong, high sound

646 3.7

A very strong feeling or quality you feel deeply

354 1.8

Very strong or forceful, like a heavy blow

40 3.9

Very strong and unpleasant to the senses, like bright light or bitter taste

Idioms

29 8.0

Too kind to someone and not strict when they behave badly

Very soft to the touch like velvet

Compounds

40 1.0

A drink without alcohol that has bubbles, like soda or lemonade

soft money
  • Jargon
33 8.3

Funds people give to parties or groups to influence elections instead of giving it directly to candidates

soft spot
  • Informal
31 3.6

A strong liking for someone or something

9 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

soft spot
  • Informal
9 4.4

A weak part of a person, thing, or system that can be easily harmed

4 3.1

A warm, soft baked snack shaped like a twisted loop with coarse salt

4 2.8

Light, flexible shoes worn for dancing or indoor use

A crab with a soft new shell that people often eat whole

A soft frozen dessert that comes from a machine, often in a cone

soft palate
  • Specialized
3 5.7

Part at the back of the mouth that lifts to close the nose when you swallow or speak

2 3.9

A gentle way to encourage people to buy something

soft underbelly
  • Informal
2 6.7

A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of

soft spot
  • Specialized
2 6.1

A soft area on a baby's head where the skull bones have not joined

2 6.0

A market with more goods for sale than buyers, so sellers get lower prices

soft water
  • Specialized
1 3.5

Water that contains few minerals and makes soap foam easily

Easy to press and feels like a sponge

1 1.3

A small round bread made with yeast that has a soft crust and soft inside

soft soap
  • Informal
1 7.6

Insincere praise used to try to influence someone

1 7.0

A style of dance with smooth, light steps done while wearing soft, quiet shoes

1 3.7

A mild soap made from plant oils for sensitive skin

1 6.3

A foot control on a piano that makes the sound softer

soft drug
  • NSFW
1 4.8

A drug with mild effects, for example cannabis, that does not often cause addiction

soft goods
  • Jargon
1 3.0

Clothing, towels, sheets, and other fabric items sold in stores

1 3.3

A book with thin, flexible paper on the outside rather than a hard cover

soft news
  • Literature
1 3.4

Stories that are entertaining or about people's lives, not serious events

soft touch
  • Offensive
1 7.0

A person who easily agrees and can be taken advantage of

Food that is soft to touch with a sticky, melted inside

soft-nosed
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A bullet with a soft tip that expands when it hits something to cause more damage

soft wheat
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A type of wheat with soft kernels used for cakes and cookies

1 3.8

A shadow with no sharp edges because the light spreads

1 2.9

A set of soft foods that people with chewing or swallowing problems can eat

soft coal
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A dark fuel that burns easily and makes a lot of smoke

soft copy
  • Specialized
1 3.2

An electronic file of a document you view on a computer

1 3.8

An easier choice people make to avoid hard work or trouble

Light that is white and gentle, not harsh on the eyes

A light, soft pale loaf often used for sandwiches and toast

A book with a flexible paper cover instead of a hard cover

soft corn
  • Specialized
1 5.6

Corn with kernels that are mostly soft and grind easily into flour

soft rot
  • Specialized
1 5.9

A mushy, slimy decay of plant parts caused by bacteria or fungi

soft glass
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A type of glass that melts at a lower temperature and is easy to shape

A water turtle with a flat soft shell that lives in rivers and lakes and bites hard

soft glass
  • Specialized
1 7.6

A thick material of tiny particles that behaves like a solid and flows very slowly

A smooth, graceful tap dance done in shoes with soft soles

A smooth, gentle tap dance that uses soft-soled shoes

soft-finned
  • Specialized
1 8.1

With fins that are soft and flexible rather than hard and spiny

A small sea animal with a thin fragile shell that people eat

soft scale
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A small insect with a soft, waxy covering that lives on plant stems and leaves

soft Muzak
  • Archaic
1 6.3

Quiet music without singing played in public places to make people feel calm

A medium-sized Irish dog with a soft, light brown coat and a very hairy head

1 8.9

A tall grass-like plant with soft upright stems that grows in wet places

soft solder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A metal that melts at low heat to join metals in pipes and electronics

soft tree fern
  • Australian
1 7.8

A tall fern with a trunk and feathery leaves that grows in cool, shady places

A plant with soft feathery leaves that people grow in gardens for decoration

brown soft scale
  • Specialized
8.5

A small brown insect that lives on plants, drinks their juice and weakens them

A soft grass with velvety leaves that spreads across meadows and woods

Feels squishy and a little wet when pressed

8.6

A tall water plant with long leaves and a brown, stick-like flower head

A light warm yellow-brown color like soft sand

A plan that makes people or machines stop working without causing death and without causing damage

soft ordnance
  • Specialized
7.8

A weapon that is not meant to kill people and is used for training and to control crowds

soft sawder
  • Specialized
9.1

A metal that melts at low heat used to join metal parts, often in electronics

soft roe
  • Specialized
8.6

A soft, creamy part of a fish that holds sperm and people eat

soft tick
  • Specialized
9.7

A small blood-sucking animal without a hard shell on its back that bites animals and birds

soft sign
  • Specialized
9.9

A Cyrillic letter that makes the consonant before it sound with the tongue near the roof of the mouth

soft-cast steel
  • Specialized
5.1

Steel with very little carbon that is easy to shape

soft-finned fish
  • Specialized
7.2

A fish with soft, flexible fins like salmon

A crab that recently shed its shell so it is soft and people eat it whole

How Gentle

subtle
339 6.0
soft
254 1.0
strong
∞ 1.0
harsh
40 3.9

Surface Forms

soft positive
softer comparative
softest superlative

Etymology

Soft originally meant 'gentle', so when we say soft light or sound we mean it is mild and easy on the eyes or ears, just like a gentle touch feels calm.