soft
1. yielding readily to pressure or weight (Freq. 18)
• Ant:
hard
• Similar to:
brushed, fleecy, napped, cheeselike, compressible,
squeezable, cottony, cushioned, cushiony, padded, demulcent,
emollient, salving, softening, downy, downlike, flossy,
fluffy, flaccid, flocculent, woolly, wooly, yielding,
mushy, overstuffed, softish, semisoft, spongy, squashy,
squishy, spongelike, velvet, velvety
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
• Attrubites:
hardness
2. compassionate and kind;
conciliatory (Freq. 13)
- he was soft on his children
• Ant:
hard
• Similar to:
mellow
• See Also:
tender, warmhearted
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
3. (of sound) relatively low in volume (Freq. 4)
- soft voices
- soft music
• Ant:
loud
• Similar to:
dull, muffled, muted, softened, euphonious,
gentle, hushed, subdued, quiet, little, small,
low, low-toned, murmuring, susurrant, whispering, murmurous,
rustling, soughing, susurrous, soft-footed, soft-spoken
• See Also:
quiet
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
• Attrubites:
volume, loudness, intensity
4. easily hurt (Freq. 2)
- soft hands
- a baby's delicate skin
• Syn:
delicate
• Similar to:
tender, untoughened
5. produced with vibration of the vocal cords
- a frequently voiced opinion
- voiced consonants such as 'b' and 'g' and 'z'
• Syn:
voiced, sonant
• Ant:
unvoiced (for: voiced)
• Derivationally related forms:
sonant (for: sonant)
6. not protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons)
- soft targets
• Ant:
hardened
7. (of speech sounds);
produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate;
characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as 's' and 'sh')
• Ant:
hard
• Similar to:
fricative, continuant, sibilant, spirant, strident,
palatal, palatalized, palatalised
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
8. (of a commodity or market or currency) falling or likely to fall in value
- the market for computers is soft
• Similar to:
falling
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
9. using evidence not readily amenable to experimental verification or refutation
- soft data
- the soft sciences
• Similar to:
qualitative
10. willing to negotiate and compromise
• Similar to:
conciliatory, conciliative
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
11. mild and pleasant
- balmy days and nights
- the climate was mild and conducive to life or growth
- a soft breeze
• Syn:
balmy, mild
• Similar to:
clement
• Derivationally related forms:
softness, mildness (for: mild), balm (for: balmy)
12. used chiefly as a direction or description in music
- the piano passages in the composition
• Syn:
piano
• Ant:
forte (for: piano)
• Similar to:
pianissimo, pianissimo assai
13. tolerant or lenient
- indulgent parents risk spoiling their children
- too soft on the children
- they are soft on crime
• Syn:
indulgent, lenient
• Similar to:
permissive
• Derivationally related forms:
softness, leniency (for: lenient), lenience (for: lenient), indulgence (for: indulgent)
14. soft and mild;
not harsh or stern or severe
- a gentle reprimand
- a vein of gentle irony
- poked gentle fun at him
• Syn:
gentle
• Similar to:
mild
• Derivationally related forms:
gentleness (for: gentle)
15. out of condition;
not strong or robust;
incapable of exertion or endurance
- he was too soft for the army
- flabby around the middle
- flaccid cheeks
• Syn:
flabby, flaccid
• Similar to:
unfit
• Derivationally related forms:
flaccidity (for: flaccid), flab (for: flabby), flabbiness (for: flabby), softness
16. having little impact
- an easy pat on the shoulder
- gentle rain
- a gentle breeze
- a soft (or light) tapping at the window
• Syn:
easy, gentle
• Similar to:
light
• Derivationally related forms:
gentleness (for: gentle)
17. (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
• Syn:
diffuse, diffused
• Ant:
hard
18. not burdensome or demanding;
borne or done easily and without hardship
- what a cushy job!
- the easygoing life of a parttime consultant
- a soft job
• Syn:
cushy, easygoing
• Similar to:
easy
• Usage Domain:
colloquialism
19. not brilliant or glaring
- the moon cast soft shadows
- soft pastel colors
- subdued lighting
• Syn:
subdued
• Similar to:
dull
• Derivationally related forms:
softness
in a relaxed manner;
or without hardship (Freq. 1)
- "just wanted to take it easy" ('soft' is nonstandard)
• Syn:
easy
• Derived from adjective:
easy (for: easy)
• Usage Domain:
colloquialism
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