soft
- adjective
- /sɔft/
- Specialized
- "You already knew that," he replied in a soft, hissing voice.
The soft G is not present except strangely in Jew, which is not a soft Jew.
- The soft G is not present except strangely in Jew, which is not a soft Jew.
Examples
-
Then l heard the word he was desperately trying to say, a soft hiss of a word.
-
There was a soft hissing sound.
Fiction book (1997) -
For a moment, the soft hiss of the gas lamps is the only sound.
Academic text (1997) -
On the path, two guards on their rounds hear the soft clicking in the shrubs.
Fiction book (1992) -
The whole hall grows colder at the soft sound of weeping.
Fiction book (1990) -
"Oh, no, I don't think it's borscht," Netta answered, once again falling into that soft sibilance that marked her speech.
Fiction book (1992) -
The teacher's voice was soft as she spoke to the shy student, encouraging him gently.
-
You could hear a soft hiss as the steam escaped from the kettle on the stove.
-
In the quiet room, her soft whisper was the only sound breaking the silence.
Antonyms
- Specialized
A consonant made with the back of the tongue touching the soft part of the roof of the mouth
Idioms
Compounds
- Jargon
Funds people give to parties or groups to influence elections instead of giving it directly to candidates
- Specialized
Part at the back of the mouth that lifts to close the nose when you swallow or speak
- Informal
A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of
- NSFW
A drug with mild effects, for example cannabis, that does not often cause addiction
- Specialized
A bullet with a soft tip that expands when it hits something to cause more damage
- Specialized
A small brown insect that lives on plants, drinks their juice and weakens them
- Specialized
A thick material of tiny particles that behaves like a solid and flows very slowly
- NSFW
A plan that makes people or machines stop working without causing death and without causing damage
- Specialized
A weapon that is not meant to kill people and is used for training and to control crowds
- Specialized
A metal that melts at low heat used to join metal parts, often in electronics
- Specialized
A small insect with a soft, waxy covering that lives on plant stems and leaves
- Specialized
A small blood-sucking animal without a hard shell on its back that bites animals and birds
- Specialized
A Cyrillic letter that makes the consonant before it sound with the tongue near the roof of the mouth
- Australian
A tall fern with a trunk and feathery leaves that grows in cool, shady places
A medium-sized Irish dog with a soft, light brown coat and a very hairy head
A water turtle with a flat soft shell that lives in rivers and lakes and bites hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
In some languages a soft consonant is one made with the tongue in a gentler, more hushing position, so think of soft as a 'gentle' change in how the sound is made.