Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: COLOURS AND SOUNDS

Language: Old English
Origin: softe

soft

 adjective
     
soft S2 W2 comparative softer, superlative softest
1

not hard

a) not hard, firm, or stiff, but easy to press [≠ hard]:
My feet sank into the soft ground.
the softest sofa and pillows
Cook the onions until they go soft.
b) less hard than average [≠ hard]:
a soft lead pencil
soft cheese
2

not rough

having a surface that is smooth and pleasant to touch [≠ rough]:
a baby's soft skin
The fur was soft to the touch.
3

not loud

C a soft sound, voice, or music is quiet and pleasant to listen to [≠ loud, harsh]:
soft music
His voice was softer now.
4

colour/light

[only before noun]CC soft colours or lights are pleasant and relaxing because they are not too bright [≠ bright]:
All the stores will be re-fitted with softer lighting.
a soft shade of peach
5

no hard edges

not having any hard edges or sharp angles:
soft curves
6

rain/wind

gentle and without much force:
a soft breeze
soft rain
7

not strict

someone who is soft seems weak because they are not strict enough with other people [≠ strict, tough]:
If you appear to be soft, people take advantage of you.
soft on
No politician wants to seem soft on crime.
Courts have been taking a soft line (=not being strict enough) with young offenders.
8

sensitive

kind, gentle, and sympathetic to other people [≠ hard]:
He has a soft heart beneath that cold exterior.
a soft kiss
9

weak character

not very brave and not having a strong character [≠ hard]:
Don't be soft - just jump!
10

sales/markets

decreasing in price, value, or the amount sold:
soft oil prices
11

soft loan/credit

money that is lent at a lower interest rate than usual, because it will be used to help people in some way
12

soft money

money that people, companies, or organizations give to political parties, rather than to a particular candidate
13

too easy

informal a soft job, life etc is too easy and does not involve much work or hard physical work:
Mike's found himself a soft job in the stores.
soft option British English (=a choice that allows you to avoid difficulties or hard work)
Taking the soft option won't help your career to develop.
14

weak body

informal having a body that is not in a strong physical condition, because you do not do enough exercise:
He'd got soft after all those years in a desk job.
15

water

HC soft water does not contain many minerals, so that it forms bubbles from soap easily
16

have a soft spot for somebody

to continue to like someone even when they do not behave well:
She's always had a soft spot for Grant.
17

a soft touch

informal someone from whom you can easily get what you want, because they are kind or easy to deceive
18

soft in the head

old-fashioned very stupid or crazy
19

stupid

British English stupid or silly:
You must be soft if you think I'll give you fifty quid!
20

be soft on somebody

old-fashioned to be sexually attracted to someone
21

consonants

technical not sounding hard:
a soft g
—softly adverb:
She stroked his head softly.
Music played softly in the background.
—softness noun [uncountable]
WORD FOCUS: soft WORD FOCUS: soft
soft and pleasant to touch: velvety, fluffy, silky
soft and easily crushed: squashy, squishy
soft and wet: mushy, squelchy BrE informal
soft and good to eat: tenderWORD FOCUS: colour WORD FOCUS: colour
a particular kind of colour: shade, hint, hue
words for describing dark colours: dark, deep, rich
words for describing light colours: light, pale, soft, pastel
words for describing bright colours: bright, brilliant, vivid, garish disapproving, gaudy disapproving
having a lot of colours: colourful, multicoloured British English/multicolored American English

➔ See also colourWORD FOCUS: quiet WORD FOCUS: quiet
voice, sound: low , soft, muffled, hushed, subdued
place: peaceful, calm, sleepy, tranquil
completely quiet: silent, you could hear a pin drop
what you say when you want someone to be quiet: sh, shut up not polite, be quiet, keep it down BrE informal

➔ See also quiet
Definition of soft from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic COLOURS AND SOUNDS
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