Soft
Soft (soft; 115) , adjective
[Old English softe, Anglo-Saxon sōfte, properly adv. of sēfte, adj.; akin to Old Saxon sāfto, adv., Dutch zacht, Old High German samfto, adv., semfti, adj., German 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 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.
3.
Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines.
The soft, delicious air.
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.
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.
Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
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.
The meek or soft shall inherit the earth.
7.
Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
A face with gladness overspread,
Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.
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.
9.
Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even,
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
10.
Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
11.
Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloquial]
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.
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.
(a) (Phonetics) 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)
(Phonetics) 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.
Collocations (12)
Soft coal , bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or hard, coal.
Soft crab (Zoology) , any crab which has recently shed its shell.
Soft dorsal (Zoology) , the posterior part of the dorsal fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
Soft grass (Botany) , See Velvet grass.
Soft money , paper money, as distinguished from coin, or hard money. [Colloquial United States]
Soft palate , See the Note under Palate.
Soft ray (Zoology) , 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 , noun
A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloquial] — G. Eliot
Soft , adverb
Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. — Chaucer
A knight soft riding toward them.
Soft , interjection
Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go.