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softly

 - 5 dictionary results

soft

  [sawft, soft] adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb, interjection
Use softly in a Sentence
–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 firm 1 (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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To softly
soft   (sôft, sŏft)   
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.

  2. Out of condition; flabby.

  3. 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.

  5. Not sharply drawn or delineated: soft charcoal shading; a scene filmed in soft focus.

  6. 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.

  9. Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts: limited the discussion to soft topics.

  10. Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation: The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.

  11. Softcore.

  12. Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes: a soft right.

  13. Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.

  14. Having low dissolved mineral content.

  15. Having a low or lower power of penetration: soft x-rays.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
soft

  1. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. : After a few hours at the party, it appeared that most people were getting soft.
  2. mod.
    having to do with nonaddictive drugs. (Compare this with hard.) : The “soft stuff” just leads to really bad stuff.
  3. mod.
    stupid. : The guy's soft in the head. He just can't think straight.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

soft 
O.E. softe "gentle, easy, comfortable," from W.Gmc. *samfti, from P.Gmc. *samftijaz "level, even, smooth, gentle, soft" (cf. O.S. safti, O.H.G. semfti, Ger. sanft, M.Du. sachte, Du. zacht), from base *som- "fitting, agreeable." Sense of "causing little hardship or suffering" attested from c.1205. Of sounds, from c.1250. Meaning "foolish, simple, silly" is attested from 1621. Adjective soft core (in ref. to pornography) is from 1966. Soft rock as a music style is attested from 1969. Soft sell is from 1955. Soft-shoe as a dancing style is attested from 1927. Soft-hearted first recorded 1593.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: soft
Pronunciation: 'soft
Function: adjective
1 : yielding to physical pressure
2 : deficient in or free fromsubstances (as calcium and magnesium salts) that prevent lathering of soap <soft water>
3 : having relatively low energy <soft X rays>
4 : BIODEGRADABLE soft detergent> <soft pesticides>
5 of a drug : considered less detrimental than a hard narcotic soft drug>
6 : easily polarized —used of acids and bases
7a : being or based on interpretive or speculative data <soft evidence> b : utilizing or based on soft data <soft science>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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