Softest - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

soft

Audio Help [sawft, soft] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb, interjection

–adjective

1.	yielding readily to touch or pressure; easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape; not hard or stiff: a soft pillow.

2.	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. 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.	(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.	(of a market, market condition, or prices) declining in value, volume, profitability, etc.; weak: a soft tourist season. Compare firm¹ (def. 7).

22.	(of money) plentiful or available at low interest rates or on easy terms: a soft loan.

23.	soft-core.

24.

Metallurgy.

a.	(of a metal) easily magnetized and demagnetized.

b.	(of solder) fusing readily.

c.	(of a metal or alloy) fully annealed, so as to provide minimum mechanical hardness.

25.

Photography.

a.	(of a photographic image) having delicate gradations of tone.

b.	(of a focus) lacking in sharpness.

c.	(of a lens) unable to be focused sharply.

26.

Phonetics.

a.	(of consonants) lenis, esp. lenis and voiced.

b.	(of c and g) pronounced as in cent and gem.

c.	(of consonants in Slavic languages) palatalized. Compare hard (def. 38).

27.	Military. (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. Compare hard (def. 40).

30.	(of a delegate, voter, etc.) not committed to any one candidate.

31.	foolish or stupid: soft in the head.

32.	(of a detergent) readily biodegradable.

–noun

33.	something that is soft or yielding; the soft part.

34.

softness.

–adverb

35.	in a soft manner.

–interjection Archaic.

36.	be quiet! hush!

37.	not so fast! stop!

—Idiom

38.	be soft on someone, Informal. to be amorously inclined toward a person; have an affection for: He's been soft on her for years.

[Origin: bef. 1000; ME softe yielding, gentle, mild, OE sōfte agreeable; c. G sanft

]

—Related forms

softly, adverb

softness, noun

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

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Softest

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

soft Audio Help (sôft, sŏft) Pronunciation Key
adj. soft·er, soft·est

1. Easily molded, cut, or worked.
2. Yielding readily to pressure or weight.
3. Not loud, harsh, or irritating: a soft voice.
4. Not brilliant or glaring; subdued: soft colors.
5. Of a gentle disposition; tender.
6. Affectionate: a soft glance.
7. Attracted or emotionally involved: He has been soft on her for years.
8. Not stern; lenient.
9. Lacking strength of character; weak.
10. Informal Simple-minded; foolish.
11. Informal Easy: a soft job.
12. Based on conciliation or negotiation rather than on threats or power plays: took a soft line toward their opponents.
13. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.
14. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
15. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
16. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
Out of condition; flabby.
Smooth or fine to the touch: a soft fabric.
1. Not loud, harsh, or irritating: a soft voice.
2. Not brilliant or glaring; subdued: soft colors.
3. Of a gentle disposition; tender.
4. Affectionate: a soft glance.
5. Attracted or emotionally involved: He has been soft on her for years.
6. Not stern; lenient.
7. Lacking strength of character; weak.
8. Informal Simple-minded; foolish.
9. Informal Easy: a soft job.
10. Based on conciliation or negotiation rather than on threats or power plays: took a soft line toward their opponents.
11. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.
12. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
13. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
14. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
Not sharply drawn or delineated: soft charcoal shading; a scene filmed in soft focus.
Mild; balmy: a soft breeze.
1. Of a gentle disposition; tender.
2. Affectionate: a soft glance.
3. Attracted or emotionally involved: He has been soft on her for years.
4. Not stern; lenient.
5. Lacking strength of character; weak.
6. Informal Simple-minded; foolish.
7. Informal Easy: a soft job.
8. Based on conciliation or negotiation rather than on threats or power plays: took a soft line toward their opponents.
9. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.
10. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
11. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
12. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
1. Informal Easy: a soft job.
2. Based on conciliation or negotiation rather than on threats or power plays: took a soft line toward their opponents.
3. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.
4. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
5. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
6. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts: limited the discussion to soft topics.
Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation: The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.
Softcore.
Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes: a soft right.
Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.
Having low dissolved mineral content.
Having a low or lower power of penetration: soft x-rays.
Linguistics
1. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
2. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
3. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack: a soft target.

n. A soft object or part.

adv. In a soft manner; gently.

[Middle English, pleasant, calm, from Old English sōfte.]

soft'ly adv., soft'ness n.

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