Word: soft Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Germanic *samþuz /*samftuz Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī) Old English sōfte Middle English softe English soft From Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte, alteration of earlier sēfte (“soft”), from Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī) (“level, even, smooth, soft, gentle”) (compare *sōmiz (“agreeable, fitting”)), from Proto-Indo-European *semptio-, *semtio-, from *sem- (“one, whole”). Cognate with West Frisian sêft (“gentle; soft”), Dutch zacht (“soft”), German Low German sacht (“soft”), German sanft (“soft, yielding”), Old Norse sœmr (“agreeable, fitting”), samr (“same”). More at seem, same. Pronunciation: /sɒft/, /sɔːft/, /sɔft/, /sɑft/, /sæft/ 1. Easily giving way under pressure. Example: My head sank easily into the soft pillow. Example: My favorite Greek cheese is the creamy, sheepy manouri: delicately scented and almost spreadable, it’s like a softer, pudgier feta. 2. Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh. Example: Polish the silver with a soft cloth to avoid scratching. Example: soft silk; a soft skin 3. Quiet. Example: I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees. Example: Her voice was ever soft, / Gentle, and low, — an excellent thing in woman. 4. Gentle. Example: There was a soft breeze blowing. Example: I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's; / Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. 5. Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind. Example: soft eyes Example: A soft answer turneth away wrath. 6. Gentle in action or motion; easy. Example: On her soft axle, white she paces even, / And bears thee soft with the smooth air along. 7. Limp, weak. 8. Weak in character; impressible. Example: The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's. 9. Requiring little or no effort; easy. Example: Before that they had been a good deal on the move, trekking about after the white man, who was one of those rolling stones that keep going round after a soft job. 10. Not bright or intense. Example: soft lighting 11. Having a slight angle from straight. Example: At the intersection with two roads going left, take the soft left. Example: It's important to dance on soft knees to avoid injury. 12. Voiced; sonant; lenis. Example: DH represents the voiced (soft) th of English these clothes. 13. Voiceless. Labels: rare 14. Palatalized. 15. Excessively empathetic or concerned about others’ wellbeing. Labels: slang Example: He’s too soft for the ruthless world of finance. 16. Lacking strength or resolve; not tough, wimpy. Labels: slang Example: When it comes to drinking, he is as soft as they come. Example: ‘Going soft on me, Jack?’ ‘You know I’m not.’ ‘Then why all the fuss and blow?’ 17. Low in dissolved calcium compounds. Example: You won't need as much soap, as the water here is very soft. 18. Foolish. Labels: UK, colloquial Example: He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad. 19. 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) 20. Physically or emotionally weak. Example: see: snowflake and softie 21. Effeminate. Labels: UK Example: A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering. 22. Agreeable to the senses. Example: a soft liniment Example: soft wines 23. Agreeable generally; pleasant. Labels: UK, dated, slang Example: And then there'll be the insurance people. And then a young man introducing himself as "The Press". I'll tell you what, sergeant, this being burgled isn't such a soft thing after all. 24. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye. Example: soft colours Example: the soft outline of the snow-covered hill 25. Made up of nonparallel rays, tending to wrap around a subject and produce diffuse shadows. 26. Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action. Example: The admin imposed a soft ban on the user. Example: Messages removed by soft deletion can be recovered if necessary. 27. Emulated with software; not physically real. Example: Press the red button on the soft phone to hang up. 28. Not likely to cause addiction. 29. Not containing alcohol. 30. Easy-going, lenient, not strict; permissive. Example: soft on crime 31. Of a market: having more supply than demand; being a buyer's market. Example: Overall the rental market is soft and multifamily permit activity is almost nonexistent. 32. Softcore 33. Mild, tame, moderate; far from intense or excluding harsh elements. Example: soft humiliation play Example: soft raceplay 34. Of paper: unsized. 35. Of silk: having the natural gum cleaned or washed off. 36. Of coal: bituminous, as opposed to anthracitic. 37. Of weather: warm enough to melt ice; thawing. 38. Attracted to or emotionally involved with someone. Labels: idiomatic, informal 39. Fake; counterfeit. Labels: UK, slang Example: All along, Nickle, I have tried to make you realise that this stroke was not to be a matter of planting a few soft fivers on racecourse bookies—I used to think that you had imagination. We intend to make notes of all the values and chiefly of the big ones.