SOFT
soft, subdued
(adjective) not brilliant or glaring; âthe moon cast soft shadowsâ; âsoft pastel colorsâ; âsubdued lightingâ
balmy, mild, soft
(adjective) mild and pleasant; âbalmy days and nightsâ; âthe climate was mild and conducive to life or growthâ; âa soft breezeâ
cushy, soft, easygoing
(adjective) not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship; âwhat a cushy job!â; âthe easygoing life of a parttime consultantâ; âa soft jobâ
soft
(adjective) willing to negotiate and compromise
soft, flabby, flaccid
(adjective) out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance; âhe was too soft for the armyâ; âflabby around the middleâ; âflaccid cheeksâ
soft
(adjective) yielding readily to pressure or weight
soft
(adjective) compassionate and kind; conciliatory; âhe was soft on his childrenâ
soft
(adjective) (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as âsâ and âshâ)
soft, diffuse, diffused
(adjective) (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
easy, gentle, soft
(adjective) having little impact; âan easy pat on the shoulderâ; âgentle rainâ; âa gentle breezeâ; âa soft (or light) tapping at the windowâ
soft
(adjective) (of sound) relatively low in volume; âsoft voicesâ; âsoft musicâ
piano, soft
(adjective) (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) soft; in a quiet, subdued tone; âthe piano passages in the compositionâ
soft
(adjective) not protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons); âsoft targetsâ
gentle, soft
(adjective) soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe; âa gentle reprimandâ; âa vein of gentle ironyâ; âpoked gentle fun at himâ
indulgent, lenient, soft
(adjective) tolerant or lenient; âindulgent parents risk spoiling their childrenâ; âtoo soft on the childrenâ; âthey are soft on crimeâ
soft
(adjective) using evidence not readily amenable to experimental verification or refutation; âsoft dataâ; âthe soft sciencesâ
voiced, sonant, soft
(adjective) produced with vibration of the vocal cords; âa frequently voiced opinionâ; âvoiced consonants such as âbâ and âgâ and âzââ
delicate, soft
(adjective) easily hurt; âsoft handsâ; âa babyâs delicate skinâ
soft
(adjective) (of a commodity or market or currency) falling or likely to fall in value; âthe market for computers is softâ
easy, soft
(adverb) in a relaxed manner; or without hardship; âjust wanted to take it easyâ; âthe judge went easy on the young defendantâ
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
soft (comparative softer, superlative softest)
Easily giving way under pressure.
(of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.
(of a sound) Quiet.
Gentle.
Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind.
Gentle in action or motion; easy.
Weak in character; impressible.
Requiring little or no effort; easy.
Not bright or intense.
Having a slight angle from straight.
(linguistics) Voiced; sonant.
(linguistics, rare) voiceless
(linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized
(slang) Lacking strength or resolve; not tough, wimpy.
(of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.
(UK, colloquial) Foolish.
(physics) Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non-magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (compare hard)
(of a person) Physically or emotionally weak.
Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action.
(UK, of a man) Effeminate.
Agreeable to the senses.
Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye.
(photography, of light) Made up of nonparallel rays, tending to wrap around a subject and produce diffuse shadows.
(computing) Emulated with software; not physically real.
Synonyms
• (giving way under pressure): see soft
• (of a cloth): non-abrasive, fluffy
• (gentle): gentle, light, nesh
• (of a sound): quiet
• (lacking strength or resolve): meek, mild, wimpy, nesh
• (foolish): daft, foolish, silly, stupid
Antonyms
• (giving way under pressure): hard, resistant, solid, stony
• (of a cloth): abrasive, scratchy
• (gentle): harsh, rough, strong
• (acute): hard
• (of a sound): loud
• (lacking strength or resolve): firm, strict, tough
• (of water): hard
• (foolish): sensible
Interjection
soft
(archaic) Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Adverb
soft (comparative more soft, superlative most soft)
(obsolete) Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
Noun
soft (plural softs)
A soft or foolish person; an idiot.
(motorsports) Ellipsis of soft tyre. (A tyre whose compound is softer than mediums, and harder than supersofts.)
Source: Wiktionary
Soft, a. [Compar. Softer; superl. Softest.] Etym: [OE. softe, AS. s,
properly adv. of s, adj.; akin to OS. safto, adv., D. zacht, OHG.
samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G. sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain
origin.]
1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or cut; not
firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also, malleable; -- opposed
to Ant: hard; as, a soft bed; a soft peach; soft earth; soft wood or
metal.
2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth; delicate; fine;
as, soft silk; a soft skin.
They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. Matt. xi. 8.
3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the
tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. "The soft, delicious air."
Milton.
4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing to the
eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent contrast; as, soft
hues or tints.
The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . . . made the
softest lights imaginable. Sir T. Browne.
5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the ear;
flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in
woman. Shak.
Soft were my numbers; who could take offense Pope.
6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible; gentle; kind.
I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's; Or Edward's soft
and pitiful, like mine. Shak.
The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. Tyndale.
7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild;
conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
A soft answer turneth away wrath. Prov. xv. 1.
A face with gladness overspread, Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.
Wordsworth.
8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a
man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering. Jer. Taylor.
9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even, And bears thee soft with the
smooth air along. Milton.
10. Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's. Glanvill.
11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite
mad. Burton.
12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular
or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as,
soft water is the best for washing.
15. (Phonetics)
(a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental consonant (as g in
gem, c in cent, etc.) as distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in
go, c in cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard.
(b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as distinguished from
the surd, and considered as involving less force in utterance; as, b,
d, g, z, v, etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc. Soft clam
(Zoöl.), the common or long clam (Mya arenaria). See Mya.
– Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or
hard, coal.
– Soft crab (Zoöl.), any crab which has recently shed its shell.
– Soft dorsal (Zoöl.), the posterior part of the dorsal fin of
fishes when supported by soft rays.
– Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass.
– Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or hard
money. [Colloq. U.S.] -- Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media.
– Soft palate. See the Note under Palate.
– Soft ray (Zoöl.), a fin ray which is articulated and usually
branched.
– Soft soap. See under Soap.
– Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from hard-tack, or
ship bread.
– Soft tortoise (Zoöl.), any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx.
See Trionyx.
Soft, n.
Definition: A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloq.] G. Eliot.
Soft, adv.
Definition: Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
Chaucer.
A knight soft riding toward them. Spenser.
Soft, interj.
Definition: Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition