soft

SAWFT/sɔft/UKSOFT/sɒft/

Adjectivesofter, softest

Noun pluralsofts

39 meanings of soft

Practice

1
squishyadjective
Easy to press in or bend without much force.
Like a marshmallow that squishes when you press it.
The pillow felt soft against her cheek.
Push your finger into the soft clay and it leaves a mark.
Similaryielding, spongy, squashy, squishy, mushy
Oppositehard, firm, solid, rigid
Note
2
adjective
Smooth and bendy to the touch, not rough or hard.
Like stroking a kitten's fur.
The kitten's fur was soft and warm.
She wrapped the baby in a soft cotton blanket.
Similarsupple, smooth, silky, velvety, pliable
Oppositerough, coarse, stiff, harsh
Note
3
adjective
Gentle and mild, not harsh, strong, or sharp.
Like a warm day that is never too hot.
A soft rain fell on the garden all morning.
They took a soft approach and avoided any sharp words.
UsageSay a soft breeze or a soft approach.
Similargentle, mild, mellow, smooth, light
Oppositeharsh, sharp, strong, abrasive
Note
4
quietadjective
Low and quiet in sound, not loud.
Like a whisper you can hardly hear.
She spoke in a soft voice so the baby wouldn't wake.
The music stayed soft all through dinner.
UsageTo describe how someone speaks, say softly.
Similarquiet, low, faint, hushed, muted
Oppositeloud, noisy
Note
5
faint (color)adjective
Gentle to look at, not too bright or sharp, like soft light or soft colors.
Like the dim light from a single candle.
The lamp gave off a soft, warm glow.
She painted the walls a soft shade of blue.
Similargentle, muted, subdued, pale, delicate
Oppositeharsh, bright, glaring, bold
6
a sodanouncountable or uncountable
A sweet drink with no alcohol in it, usually fizzy.
Artois' story with water and softs was embodied in the difficult relationship between Raymond Boon and Spa's main owner and CEO, Guy du Bois.
2019, Kenneth Bertrams, Julien Del Marmol
UsageMost people say soft drinks instead.
Similarsoda, pop
Note
7
adjective
About people and influence, and things you cannot easily measure, not technical skills, force, or numbers.
Many employers care about soft skills, like working well in a team and listening to others.
The small country wins friends abroad through soft power, such as its movies and music.
UsageSay soft skills, like teamwork and listening.
Similarintangible, qualitative
Oppositehard
8
adjectiveslang
Not tough or strong-willed. Easily hurt, scared, or talked into things.
Like someone who quits a game the moment it gets hard.
They teased him for going soft when he backed out of the fight.
Don't go soft on me now, we're almost finished.
UsagePeople say someone has gone soft.
Similarweak, wimpy, spineless, gutless, timid
Oppositetough, hard, strong, brave
Note
9
lenientadjective
Not strict, and letting people do what they want.
Like a parent who never says no.
The new teacher was too soft to keep the class in order.
His parents were soft and rarely set any rules.
UsageSay someone is soft on crime.
Similareasy, lenient, permissive
Oppositehard, strict
10
alcohol-freeadjective
Having no alcohol in it.
Like juice or soda served instead of beer.
She asked for something soft instead of wine.
The kids drank soft drinks while the adults had wine.
UsageSay soft drinks for drinks with no alcohol.
Similarnonalcoholic, alcohol-free, virgin
Oppositealcoholic, hard

Less common meanings

11
not finaladjective
Not full or final, only partly done or just for now.
The company did a soft launch before the big release.
The new cafe had a soft opening for friends and family.
UsageSay a soft launch: a small start before the big one.
Similartentative, provisional, preliminary
Oppositehard, firm, final
Note
12
attractedadjectivecolloquialidiomatic
Having warm, loving feelings for someone you are attracted to.
Like getting a warm, happy feeling when someone you like walks into the room.
He's been soft on her ever since they met at the dance.
She's soft on the boy who sits next to her in class.
UsageSay someone is soft on a person they like.
Similarsweet, keen, smitten
13
adjective
Easy, and needing very little hard work.
Like getting an easy task while others do the hard work.
He landed a soft job that barely kept him busy.
He wanted a soft job with short hours and no heavy lifting.
UsageSay a soft job for easy work.
Similareasy, cushy, undemanding, comfortable, light
Oppositehard, tough, demanding, difficult
Note
14
low mineraladjective
Of water, having little calcium or magnesium in it, so soap makes bubbles easily.
Like rainwater that makes soap bubble up quickly.
Rainwater is naturally soft and lathers easily with soap.
The soft water in that area rarely leaves scale in the kettle.
UsageThe opposite is hard water.
Oppositehard
Note
15
adjective
Of a photo, lens, or focus, a little blurry and not sharp, sometimes on purpose to look dreamy.
The photo is a bit soft because my hand moved when I took it.
The wedding pictures were shot in soft focus to make them look like a dream.
UsageSay a photo is soft or in soft focus.
Similarblurry, fuzzy, hazy
Oppositesharp, crisp
16
non-addictiveadjective
Of a drug, seen as less harmful or less addictive than hard drugs like heroin.
Some people call cannabis a soft drug, but not everyone agrees.
The country relaxed its laws on soft drugs decades ago.
UsageSay soft drugs and hard drugs.
Oppositehard
17
slight (turn)adjective
Bending only a little, not sharply.
Like a road that bends just a little instead of making a sharp corner.
Take a soft left where the road splits.
The trail makes a soft curve around the pond.
UsageSay take a soft left.
Similargentle, slight, gradual, shallow
Oppositesharp, tight, abrupt
Note
18
buyers' marketadjective
Of a market, having more goods for sale than buyers want.
The housing market stayed soft all year, with too many homes for sale.
Prices dropped because the market had turned soft.
Similarweak, slack, sluggish
Oppositehard
Note
19
adjective
Of the letter c or g, said like the c in city or the g in gem, not like cat or go.
The c in "city" is soft, so it sounds like an s.
My name is Gina, with a soft g, like in "gentle."
UsageSay soft c and hard c.
Oppositehard
Note
20
virtualadjective
Made by software, not a real physical thing.
Like a drawing of a button on a screen that works when you tap it.
The phone shows a soft keyboard on its screen instead of real keys.
A soft button appears on the display when you need it.
UsageSay a soft keyboard on a screen.
Similarvirtual, onscreen
Oppositephysical, hard
Note
21
adjective
Of adult films, magazines, or pictures, showing nudity but not explicit sexual acts.
His mom found soft porn magazines hidden under his bed.
Some parents called the show soft porn because of all its nude scenes.
UsageSay soft porn.
Similarsoftcore, suggestive, tame
Oppositehardcore, explicit
22
adjectiveUK
Seen as too gentle or feminine in a way not expected of a man.
Some called him soft because he seemed too gentle to be manly.
His father worried that ballet would make the boy soft and girly.
UsageUsually used as an insult toward a man or boy.
Similareffeminate, unmanly, girlish
Oppositemanly, masculine, macho
Note
23
too caringadjectiveslang
Caring too much about other people's feelings.
Like someone who cries every time they watch a sad movie.
She's so soft that she cries at every sad story.
He's too soft to ever turn anyone away in need.
UsageSay someone is too soft.
Similarsensitive, sentimental, tender-hearted
Oppositecallous, hard-hearted, tough, hard
Note
24
foolishadjectivecolloquialUK
Silly or foolish.
Don't be so soft. Of course it's going to rain.
You'd be soft to turn down a job like that.
UsageOften used in don't be soft or soft lad.
Similardaft, silly, foolish, stupid
Oppositesensible, shrewd, wise
Note
25
adjective
Of a metal, easy to make magnetic and easy to make lose that magnetism again.
26
noun
In car racing, a tire with rubber softer than a medium tire but harder than a supersoft.
27
adjective
Of a sound, made with the voice buzzing, like th in "these."
28
adjectiverare
Of a sound, made without the voice buzzing.
29
adjective
In Slavic languages, said with the middle of the tongue raised toward the roof of the mouth.
30
adjective
Of paper, not treated, so ink soaks in.
31
adjective
Of silk, cleaned so the natural sticky coating is gone.
32
adjective
Of coal, the ordinary kind that burns with smoke, not the hard kind.
33
adjective
Of weather, mild so that frozen things start to melt.
34
interjectionarchaic
Wait, stop, or be quiet.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go. But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
c. 1603, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”
35
nounarchaic
A silly or stupid person.
It'll do you no good to sit in a spring-cart o' your own, if you've got a soft to drive you: he'll soon turn you over into the ditch.
1859, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], Adam Bede
36
nouncolloquial
A gentle, quiet noise, or the quieter part of one.
37
noundated
A computer program.
Sega and third-party licensees are set to release an abundance of softs that range from intense shooters to sports to reflex-testers.
December 1989, Electronic Gaming Monthly
38
nounobsoleteUK
Paper money.
39
adverbobsolete
Gently or quietly.
A Knight soft ryding towards them they spyde
1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

More uses

soft tissueparts of the body that are not bone, such as muscle and skin

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of soft apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English sōfte, an older form sēfte, meaning "soft." It comes from an old Germanic word for smooth, gentle, and even.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Soft derives from Old English sōfte, an alteration of earlier sēfte, meaning soft. en.wiktionary.org
Its Germanic ancestor had meanings including smooth, gentle, and even. en.wiktionary.org