ENGLISH
REFERENCE

soft

adj. · n.
US //ˈsɑft// UK //sˈɒft// soft
  1. 1 easy to press (adj.)
    A1 Beginner

    easy to press or shape; not hard or firm.

    yielding readily to touch or pressure; lacking structural rigidity.

    Example

    The bed was so soft that I fell asleep almost immediately.

    Example

    The sculptor preferred working with soft clay because it allowed for rapid adjustments before the final firing process.
  2. 2 smooth texture (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    smooth and pleasant to touch; not rough.

    having a smooth surface or texture that is pleasing to the senses; lacking coarseness.

    Example

    The cat has very soft fur behind its ears.

    Example

    She chose a soft cashmere scarf to protect her skin from the biting winter wind.
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  1. 3 quiet sound (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    quiet and not loud.

    low in volume or intensity; not harsh or jarring to the ear.

    Example

    They spoke in soft voices so they wouldn't wake the baby.

    Example

    The soft hum of the air conditioner provided a consistent background noise that helped him concentrate on his writing.
  2. 4 gentle or kind (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    gentle, kind, or not strict with people.

    characterised by gentleness, compassion, or a lack of severity in discipline.

    Example

    The teacher was quite soft on the students when they forgot their homework.

    Example

    Critics argued that the judge was too soft on repeat offenders, claiming the light sentences failed to deter future crime.
  3. 5 low light/colour (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Photography

    not bright or shining too strongly; easy on the eyes.

    having low luminance or saturation; diffuse and lacking harsh shadows or highlights.

    Example

    The restaurant had soft lighting that made the room feel cozy.

    Example

    Photographers prefer the soft light of the 'golden hour' just before sunset to avoid the high-contrast shadows of midday.
  4. 6 water quality (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Science

    water that does not have many minerals like calcium in it.

    describing water that is relatively free from dissolved mineral salts, especially calcium and magnesium.

    Example

    It is much easier to get soap bubbles in soft water than in hard water.

    Example

    The installation of a water softener was necessary because the local supply was too hard for the industrial boilers to process efficiently.
  5. 7 software-based (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    something that is done by a computer program rather than a physical machine.

    emulated or controlled by software rather than being a permanent hardware feature.

    Example

    The tablet uses a soft keyboard that appears on the screen when you need to type.

    Example

    The system performs a soft reset to clear the temporary cache without cutting power to the hardware components.
  6. 8 weak or foolish (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal

    weak in character or a bit silly.

    lacking mental toughness or showing a lack of intelligence; often used to describe someone easily fooled.

    Example

    Don't be so soft; you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

    Example

    He was often mocked for being soft in the head, though his friends knew he was simply more trusting than most.
  7. 9 non-alcoholic (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    used to describe drinks that do not contain alcohol.

    denoting beverages that are non-alcoholic, typically carbonated and sweetened.

    Example

    We served soft drinks like cola and lemonade at the children's party.

    Example

    The bar offers an extensive selection of soft options for patrons who are acting as designated drivers for the evening.
    • non alcoholic
  8. 10 a non-alcoholic drink (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a drink that does not have alcohol in it.

    a non-alcoholic beverage; a shortened form of 'soft drink'.

    Example

    I'll just have a soft, please—I'm driving tonight.

    Example

    The vending machine was stocked entirely with various softs and bottled waters to comply with the school's new health policy.
Etymology 1

From Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte, alteration of earlier sēfte (“soft”), from Proto-West Germanic samft(ī) (“level, even, smooth, soft, gentle”) (compare sōmiz (“agreeable, fitting”)), from Proto-Indo-European semptio-, semtio-, from *sem- (“one, whole”). Cognate with West Frisian sêft (“gentle; soft”), Dutch zacht (“soft”), German Low German sacht (“soft”), German sanft (“soft, yielding”), Old Norse sœmr (“agreeable, fitting”), samr (“same”). More at seem, same.

Etymology 2

From Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte (“softly”), from Proto-West Germanic *samftō (“softly”).

Word family
Idioms6 entries

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