soft

UK: /ˈsɒft/ US: /sɔft, sɑft/ ,(sôft, soft)

Inflections of 'soft' (adj):

softer

adj comparative

softest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

soft /sɔft, sɑft/   adj. and adv., -er, -est, interj. 
adj. 

1. giving in easily to touch or pressure:
   a soft pillow.
2. Metallurgy relatively easy to bend, crush, or cut, such as metal or wood:
   a soft lead pencil.
3. smooth and pleasing to the touch;
   not rough:
   soft skin.
4. pleasant or comfortable:
   a soft chair.
5. low or subdued in sound:
   soft music.
6. not harsh or unpleasant to the eye:
   soft light.
7. not hard or sharp:
   soft outlines.
8. gentle or mild:
   soft breezes.
9. not sturdy;
   delicate:
   Wash soft fabrics by hand.
10. not harsh or severe, such as a demand:
    soft demands by the union.
11. soft-hearted:
    You're too soft with your dog.
12. undemanding;
    easy, comfortable, etc.:
    He has a soft job.
13. weak, spiritless, etc., as from lack of challenge:
    We've grown soft with all these modern conveniences.
14. Chemistry (of water) mostly free from mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.
15. Business (of paper money or a money system) not supported by sufficient gold reserves:
    In those days the ruble was soft currency and the dollar was hard currency.
16. soft-core.
17. not the worst type;
    not quite so bad or harmful as others:
    soft drugs like marijuana, not hard ones like cocaine.
18. Phonetics (of c and g) pronounced as in cent and gem.
19. foolish or stupid:
    soft in the head.

adv. 

20. in a soft manner.

interj. Archaic. 

21. be quiet! hush!
22. not so fast! stop!

Idioms

23. Idioms be soft on, [be + ~ + on + object]
    • to be foolishly in love with:
      He's soft on his piano teacher.
    • to be too permissive with (something thought of as dangerous or threatening):
      soft on crime.

soft•ly, adv.: 

She rubbed his back softly.

soft•ness, n. 

[uncountable] the silky softness of her skin.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

soft  (sôft, soft), adj., -er, -est, n., adv., interj. 
adj. 

1. yielding readily to touch or pressure;
   easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape;
   not hard or stiff:
   a soft pillow.
2. Metallurgy relatively deficient in hardness, as metal or wood.
3. smooth and agreeable to the touch;
   not rough or coarse:
   a soft fabric; soft skin.
4. producing agreeable sensations;
   pleasant or comfortable:
   soft slumber.
5. low or subdued in sound;
   gentle and melodious:
   soft music; a soft voice.
6. not harsh or unpleasant to the eye;
   not glaring:
   soft light; a soft color.
7. not hard or sharp:
   soft outlines.
8. gentle or mild:
   soft breezes.
9. genial or balmy, as climate or air.
10. gentle, mild, warm-hearted, or compassionate:
    a soft, grandmotherly woman.
11. smooth, soothing, or ingratiating:
    soft words.
12. not harsh or severe, as a penalty or demand.
13. responsive or sympathetic to the feelings, emotions, needs, etc., of others;
    tender-hearted.
14. sentimental or flowery, as language:
    soft, meaningless talk.
15. not strong or robust;
    delicate;
    incapable of great endurance or exertion:
    He was too soft for the Marines.
16. [Informal.] easy;
    involving little effort;
    not difficult, laborious, trying, or severe:
    a soft job.
17. Informal Terms easily influenced or swayed;
    easily imposed upon;
    impressionable.
18. lenient, permissive, or conciliatory, esp. regarding something that is conceived of as dangerous or threatening:
    to be soft on Communism.
19. Chemistry (of water) relatively free from mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.
20. (of paper money or a monetary system) not supported by sufficient gold reserves or not easily convertible into a foreign currency.
21. Economics, Business (of a market, market condition, or prices) declining in value, volume, profitability, etc.;
    weak:
    a soft tourist season.
    Cf. firm ¹ (def. 7).
22. Business (of money) plentiful or available at low interest rates or on easy terms:
    a soft loan.
23. soft-core.
24. Metallurgy
    • (of a metal) easily magnetized and demagnetized.
    • (of solder) fusing readily.
    • (of a metal or alloy) fully annealed, so as to provide minimum mechanical hardness.
25. [Photog.]
    • Photography (of a photographic image) having delicate gradations of tone.
    • Photography (of a focus) lacking in sharpness.
    • Photography (of a lens) unable to be focused sharply.
26. Phonetics
    • (of consonants) lenis, esp. lenis and voiced.
    • (of c and g) pronounced as in cent and gem.
    • (of consonants in Slavic languages) palatalized. Cf. hard (def. 38).
27. [Mil.] (of a missile-launching base) aboveground and relatively unprotected from enemy attack.
28. Aerospace (of a landing of a space vehicle) gentle;
    not harmful to the vehicle or its contents:
    a soft landing on the moon.
29. Physics (of a beam of particles or electromagnetic radiation) having relatively low energy:
    soft x-rays.
    Cf. hard (def. 40).
30. Government (of a delegate, voter, etc.) not committed to any one candidate.
31. foolish or stupid:
    soft in the head.
32. Ecology (of a detergent) readily biodegradable.
33. be soft on someone, [Informal.] to be amorously inclined toward a person;
    have an affection for:
    He's been soft on her for years.

n. 

34. something that is soft or yielding;
    the soft part.
35. softness.

adv. 

36. in a soft manner.

interj. Archaic. 

37. be quiet! hush!
38. not so fast! stop!

• bef. 1000; Middle English softe yielding, gentle, mild, Old English sōfte agreeable; cognate with German sanft

soft′ly, adv. 
soft′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. pliable, plastic, malleable.
• 5. mellifluous, dulcet, sweet.
• 10. tender, sympathetic.
• 11. mollifying.
• 15. weak, feeble.
• 17. compliant, irresolute, submissive.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

soft / sɒft/ adjective

1. easy to dent, work, or cut without shattering; malleable
2. not hard; giving little or no resistance to pressure or weight
3. fine, light, smooth, or fluffy to the touch
4. gentle; tranquil
5. (of music, sounds, etc) low and pleasing
6. (of light, colour, etc) not excessively bright or harsh
7. (of a breeze, climate, etc) temperate, mild, or pleasant
8. slightly blurred; not sharply outlined: soft focus
9. (of a diet) consisting of easily digestible foods
10. kind or lenient, often excessively so
11. easy to influence or impose upon
12. prepared to compromise; not doctrinaire: the soft left
13. feeble or silly (often in the phrase soft in the head)
14. unable to endure hardship, esp through too much pampering
15. physically out of condition; flabby: soft muscles
16. loving; tender: soft words
17. requiring little exertion; easy: a soft job
18. (of water) relatively free of mineral salts and therefore easily able to make soap lather
19. (of a drug such as cannabis) nonaddictive or only mildly addictive
    Compare hard20
20. (not in technical usage) denoting the consonants c and g in English when they are pronounced as palatal or alveolar fricatives or affricates (s, / dʒ /, / ʃ /, / ð /, / tʃ /) before e and i, rather than as velar stops (k, g)
21. (of prices, a market, etc) unstable and tending to decline
22. (of a currency) in relatively little demand, esp because of a weak balance of payments situation
23. (of radiation, such as X-rays and ultraviolet radiation) having low energy and not capable of deep penetration of materials
24. related to the performance of non-specific, undefinable tasks: soft skills such as customer services and office support
25. soft on, soft about ⇒ gentle, sympathetic, or lenient towards
26. feeling affection or infatuation for

adverb

1. in a soft manner: to speak soft

noun

1. a soft object, part, or piece
2. 
   See softie

interjection

1. quiet!
2. wait!

Etymology: Old English sōfte; related to Old Saxon sāfti, Old High German semfti gentle

ˈsoftly adverb