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soft

soft

5 7.4
Based on opinions or feelings rather than strong facts
  • adjective
  • /sɔft/
  • Specialized
: poco riguroso
  • So that spoke to me amazingly because psychology is often dismissed as a sort of soft science.
  • soft numbers
  • hard numbers vs. soft
  • a soft approach

Or even the sociological or soft or human sciences, right?

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Examples

  • And courts are already toughening up on soft scientific evidence, such as psychological testimony.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Infusing these soft skills into education should begin at an early age.

    Academic text (2008)
  • So gender would fall into the area of soft science, not hard science.

  • And that is what soft matter science explores.

  • On the other hand, soft skills are less tangible and usually require some thought or decision-making.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Table 2 presents the mean ratings for the 16 validated nontechnical competencies/soft-skill attributes.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Many scholars believe that sociology is a soft science due to its reliance on subjective methods.

  • Psychology is considered a soft science because it often deals with complex human behaviors that are hard to quantify.

  • Fields like anthropology are categorized as soft sciences, focusing on qualitative research rather than strict experimental data.

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 Rigorous

hard
∞ 1.0
empirical
  • Formal
68 5.9
soft
  • Specialized
5 7.4
qualitative
19 6.3
anecdotal
48 6.5

Surface Forms

soft positive
softer comparative
softest superlative

Etymology

A soft piece of evidence is called that because 'soft' originally meant 'not firm' or 'weak', so this kind of evidence is less solid and often based on stories or opinions rather than hard facts.