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soft

soft

182 1.0
Gentle and not strong for light or sound
  • adjective
  • /sɔft/
translation icon : 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
235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

is used more for sensory mildness like light or sound
tender
vssoft
110 1.6

Showing care and kindness in a gentle way

is used for sensory or force-related mildness rather than emotion
light
vssoft
79 1.0

Not strong and small in amount

is wider in use and applies to many kinds of mildness
mild
vssoft
75 1.0

Weather that is not very cold or hot and feels pleasant

is broader and applies across light, color, sound, and many actions
balmy
vssoft
15 3.0

Weather that is pleasantly warm and mild

is used for mild qualities generally, not only pleasant warmth
velvety
vssoft
11 3.8

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

is not limited to tactile richness and covers many mild qualities
subdued
vssoft
9 4.2

Soft and not bright, like pale colors or quiet sounds

is more general and not limited to muted or restrained forms
diffuse
vssoft
8 6.4

Spread out over a large area and not in one place

focuses on mildness and lack of intensity rather than spatial spread
lightish
vssoft
1 3.7

A little paler in color or not very heavy

is the broader word for gentle presence across senses
diffused
vssoft
4.4

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

covers many mild senses beyond the visual effect of spreading
softish
vssoft
3.0

Having a little give when you press it

is the general term for low intensity across different senses
3.6

Very soft to the touch like velvet

is the ordinary term for low intensity, not a vivid tactile image

Antonyms

733 1.0

Having a very strong, high sound

573 3.7

A very strong feeling or quality you feel deeply

419 1.8

Very strong or forceful, like a heavy blow

47 3.9

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

Idioms

35 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
31 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

soft spot
  • Informal
5 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

soft palate
  • Specialized
3 5.7

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

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

soft spot
  • Specialized
2 6.1

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

soft underbelly
  • Informal
2 6.7

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

1 3.9

A gentle way to encourage people to buy something

Easy to press and feels like a sponge

1 6.0

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

1 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

soft copy
  • Specialized
1 3.2

An electronic file of a document you view on a computer

1 2.9

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

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

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 1.3

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

1 2.8

Light, flexible shoes worn for dancing or indoor use

soft soap
  • Informal
1 7.6

Insincere praise used to try to influence someone

soft water
  • Specialized
1 3.5

Water that contains few minerals and makes soap foam easily

1 3.3

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

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

soft-nosed
  • Specialized
1 8.2

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

1 7.0

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

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

soft coal
  • Specialized
6.1

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

soft corn
  • Specialized
5.6

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

Feels squishy and a little wet when pressed

8.6

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

soft Muzak
  • Archaic
6.3

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

soft news
  • Literature
3.4

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

A light warm yellow-brown color like soft sand

soft glass
  • Specialized
5.5

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

soft glass
  • Specialized
7.6

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

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

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

An easier choice people make to avoid hard work or trouble

soft ordnance
  • Specialized
7.8

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

soft rot
  • Specialized
5.9

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

8.9

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

soft sawder
  • Specialized
9.1

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

soft scale
  • Specialized
8.9

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

A foot control on a piano that makes the sound softer

soft roe
  • Specialized
8.6

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

A shadow with no sharp edges because the light spreads

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

soft tick
  • Specialized
9.7

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

soft touch
  • Offensive
7.0

A person who easily agrees and can be taken advantage of

soft sign
  • Specialized
9.9

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

3.7

A mild soap made from plant oils for sensitive skin

soft solder
  • Specialized
5.3

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

soft tree fern
  • Australian
7.8

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

soft wheat
  • Specialized
3.0

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

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

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

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

soft-cast steel
  • Specialized
5.1

Steel with very little carbon that is easy to shape

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

soft-finned
  • Specialized
8.1

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

soft-finned fish
  • Specialized
7.2

A fish with soft, flexible fins like salmon

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

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

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

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

How Gentle

subtle
276 6.0
soft
182 1.0
strong
1.0
harsh
47 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.