sɔft adj., adv., & n. --adj. 1 (of a
substance,
material, etc.)
lacking hardness or firmness;
yielding to
pressure;
easily cut. 2 (of
cloth etc.) having a
smooth surface or
texture;
not rough or
coarse. 3 (of
air etc.)
mellow,
mild,
balmy; not noticeably
cold or
hot. 4 (of water)
free from mineral salts
and therefore good for lathering. 5 (of a
light or
colour etc.) not
brilliant or
glaring. 6 (of a
voice or sounds)
gentle and pleasing. 7 Phonet. a (of a consonant)
sibilant or
palatal (as c in
ice, g in age). b voiced or unaspirated. 8 (of an
outline etc.) not sharply defined. 9 (of an
action or
manner etc.) gentle, conciliatory,
complimentary,
amorous. 10 (of
the heart or feelings etc.)
compassionate,
sympathetic. 11 (of a person's
character or
attitude etc.)
feeble,
lenient,
silly,
sentimental. 12 colloq. (of a job etc.)
easy. 13 (of drugs) mild; not
likely to
cause addiction. 14 (of radiation) having
little penetrating
power. 15 (also soft-core) (of pornography)
suggestive or
erotic but not
explicit. 16
Stock Exch. (of
currency, prices, etc.) likely to
fall in
value. 17 Polit.
moderate;
willing to
compromise (the soft left). 18
peaceful (soft slumbers). 19
Brit. (of the
weather etc.)
rainy or
moist or thawing. --adv.
softly (play soft). --n. a silly
weak person. øbe soft on colloq. 1 be lenient
towards. 2 be
infatuated with.
have a soft
spot for be
fond of or
affectionate towards (a person). soft
answer a
good-tempered answer to
abuse or an
accusation. soft-boiled (of an egg)
lightly boiled with the yolk soft or
liquid. soft-centred (of a person)
soft-hearted, sentimental. soft
coal bituminous coal. soft
detergent a
biodegradable detergent. soft
drink a
non-alcoholic drink. soft
focus Photog. the
slight deliberate blurring of a
picture. soft
fruit Brit.
small stoneless fruit (strawberry,
currant, etc.). soft
furnishings Brit. curtains, rugs, etc. soft goods Brit. textiles. soft-headed
feeble-minded. soft-headedness feeble-mindedness. soft-land
make a soft
landing . soft landing a landing by a
spacecraft without its suffering
major damage. soft
option the easier
alternative. soft
palate the rear
part of the palate. soft-paste denoting an 'artificial'
porcelain containing
glassy materials and fired at a comparatively low
temperature. soft pedal a pedal on a piano
that makes the
tone softer. soft-pedal v.tr. & (often foll. by on) intr. (-pedalled, -pedalling; US -pedaled, -pedaling) 1 refrain from emphasizing; be restrained (about). 2
play with the soft pedal down. soft roe see
ROE(1). soft
sell restrained or subtly
persuasive salesmanship. soft-sell v.tr. (past and
past part. -sold) sell by
this method. soft
soap 1 a
semifluid soap
made with
potash. 2 colloq. persuasive
flattery. soft-soap v.tr. colloq.
persuade (a person) with flattery. soft-spoken
speaking with a gentle voice. soft
sugar granulated or powdered sugar. soft
tack bread or
other good
food (opp.
hard tack). soft tissues tissues of the
body that are not
bony or cartilaginous. soft
touch colloq. a
gullible person,
esp.
over money. soft
wicket a wicket with moist or
sodden turf. øøsoftish adj. softness n. [OE softe
agreeable, earlier sefte f. WG]
