Soft
Pronunciation
- RP enPR: sÅft, IPA: /sÉ’ft/, /sÉ”Ëft/
- US enPR: säft, IPA: /sɑft/, /sɒft/, /sɔft/
- Rhymes: -É’ft
Origin
From Middle English softe ("soft, easy, gentle, yielding"), from Old English sÅfte, alteration of earlier sÄ“fte ("soft, gentle, easy, comfortable"), from Proto-Germanic *samftijaz ("level, even, smooth, soft, gentle"), from *sÅmiz ("agreeable, fitting"), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- ("one, whole"). Cognate with Dutch zacht ("soft"), German sanft ("soft, yielding"), Old Norse sÅ“mr ("agreeable, fitting"), Old Norse samr ("same"). More at seem, same.
Full definition of soft
Adjective
soft
- Easily giving way under pressure.My head sank easily into the soft pillow.
- (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.Polish the silver with a soft cloth to avoid scratching.soft silk; a soft skin
- Bible, Matt. xi. 8They that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
- Gentle.There was a soft breeze blowing.
- ShakespeareI would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. - TyndaleThe meek or soft shall inherit the earth.
- Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind.soft eyes
- Bible, Proverbs xv. 1A soft answer turneth away wrath.
- WordsworthA face with gladness overspread,
Soft smiles, by human kindness bred. - Gentle in action or motion; easy.
- MiltonOn her soft axle, white she paces even,
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along. - Weak in character; impressible.
- GlanvillThe deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
- Requiring little or no effort; easy.a soft job
- Not bright or intense.soft lighting
- (of a road intersection) Having an acute angle.At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the soft left.
- (of a sound) Quiet.I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees.
- ShakespeareHer voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, — an excellent thing in woman. - (linguistics) voiced, sonantDH represents the voiced (soft) th of English these clothes. — The Lords of the Rings,
- (linguistics, rare) voiceless
- (linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized
- (slang) Lacking strength or resolve, wimpy.When it comes to drinking, he is as soft as they come.
- (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.You won't need as much soap, as the water here is very soft.
- (UK, colloquial) Foolish.
- BurtonHe made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.
- (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.The admin imposed a soft block/ban on the user or a soft lock on the article.
- (UK, of a man) Effeminate.
- Jeremy TaylorA longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering.
- Agreeable to the senses.a soft linimentsoft wines
- Miltonthe soft, delicious air
- Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye.soft coloursthe soft outline of the snow-covered hill
- Sir Thomas BrowneThe sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds ... made the softest lights imaginable.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Interjection
- (archaic) Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
- ShakespeareSoft, you; a word or two before you go.But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Adverb
soft
- (obsolete) Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
- SpenserA knight soft riding toward them.