soft-spoken

[ sawft-spoh-kuhn, soft- ]

See synonyms for soft-spoken on Thesaurus.com

adjective

(of persons) speaking with a soft or gentle voice; mild.
(of words) softly or mildly spoken; persuasive.

Origin of soft-spoken

First recorded in 1600–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use soft-spoken in a sentence

I thought he was very intelligent, very gentle, soft-spoken, precise.
All Eyes on Anjelica Huston: The Legendary Actress on Love, Abuse, and Jack Nicholson | Alex Suskind | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Mapei is soft-spoken, but that should not be mistaken for modesty.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen | Caitlin Dickson | October 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In person, Gondry is more Joel than Doc Brown—a fragile, soft-spoken man with a mop of curly brown hair.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’ | Marlow Stern | July 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As she sips tea in a lounge at the Greenwich Hotel, her soft-spoken, modest style includes a casual acceptance of her advantages.
The Next Great Coppola | Caryn James | May 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Under its soft-spoken CEO and Chairman Gary Barber, the studio has emerged from bankruptcy, stronger and nimbler than before.
Inside MGM’s Surprising Turnaround: ‘Robocop,’ ‘Bond,’ and ‘The Hobbit’ | The Wrap | February 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Gentle as he was and soft-spoken, there was a manly spirit in him, and that always commands respect among boys.
Boyhood in Norway | Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen
I had feared that in gaining our debonair young man-at-arms we had lost our soft-spoken clerk.
The White Company | Arthur Conan Doyle
Patseys awful good to us, but he aint fine like an soft spoken.
In Wild Rose Time | Amanda M. Douglas
soft-spoken and polite, crafty and suspicious, he was pacific by temperament and therefore allowed politics to slumber.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 | Various
He had dropped back into his old soft-spoken manner, and Tresler felt like hating him for the vileness of the nature he displayed.
The Night Riders | Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for soft-spoken

soft-spoken

adjective

speaking or said with a soft gentle voice
able to persuade or impress by glibness of tongue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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