softback book
- noun
- /ˈsɔftˌbæk bʊk/
- UK
:
libro de tapa blanda
- You can buy the new mystery novel as either a hardcover or a softback book.
Examples
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She prefers reading softback books because they are lighter to carry than hardbacks.
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The store had a special offer on classic novels in softback book format.
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I bought a softback book yesterday.
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She prefers reading softback books over hardcovers.
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She prefers reading softback books because they are lighter to carry than hardcovers.
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The store had a special offer on classic novels in softback book format.
-
You can buy the new mystery novel as either a hardcover or a softback book.
Synonyms
88
1.3
A book with a soft paper cover, not a hard cover
3
1.4
A book with a soft paper cover instead of a hard cover
1
2.8
A book with a flexible paper cover, not a hardback
1
3.3
A book with thin, flexible paper on the outside rather than a hard cover
A book with a flexible paper cover instead of a hard cover
A book with a thin paper cover rather than a hard cover
Antonyms
How Flexible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a book with a flexible paper cover' is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents: 'softback' (soft, flexible cover) + 'book' (a published set of pages). This is analogous to common cross-linguistic terms (e.g. 'paperback') and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Softback book comes from the idea that the book's back, the 'cover' and 'spine', is soft or flexible instead of hard. So, it means a book with a soft paper cover that is lighter and easier to carry than a hard one.