soft has definitions from the field of music
1
[ adjective ] lacking in hardness relatively or comparatively

Used in print

(The New York Times,...)

Arnold 's iron shot from the tee burrowed into the bunker guarding the green , an embankment that had become soft and spongy from the rains , thereby bringing local rules into force .

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

There are many soft and light shoe_leathers available .

The bristles are soft enough to massage the gums and not scratch the enamel .

(Organic Gardening and Farming,...)

A light , porous mulch applied now keeps the roots cool and the soil soft during these early days of growth .

(Jay C. Harris and John R. Van Wazer, "Detergent...)

An oversimplified differentiation between soft - and hard surface cleaning lies_in the magnitude and kind of surface involved .

2
[ adjective ] metaphorically soft

Examples

"my father is a soft touch" "soft light" "a soft rain" "a soft Southern drawl" "soft brown eyes" "a soft glance"

Used in print

(The Providence Journal...)

The only performance which was too soft for me was that of Yvette_Mimieux , but since someone had to become the victim of despoilers , just to emphasize that such things do happen at these fracases , I suppose this was the attitude the part called_for .

(Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)

The sharp ray was absorbed by a cloud , then reflected to the earth in a softer , diffused radiance .

(Gerald Green, The Heartless Light....)

One soft evening - that marvelous sea blessed time when the sun 's departing warmth lingers and a smell of spume and wrack haunts everything - Amy had picked herself off the floor and begun to walk .

3
[ adjective ] of sound; relatively low in volume

Examples

"soft voices" "soft music" "

Used in print

(Robert Penn Warren, Wilderness....)

`` Slice o_' mutton , bhoy '' ? she had queried in her soft guttural .

(Jane Gilmore Rushing, "Against the Moon,"...)

There was the suggestion of ice_water , and - in_spite of the protest `` We 're not really thirsty '' - Linda_Kay , to escape the stuffy air and the smothering soft voices , hurried to the kitchen .

4
[ adjective ] easily hurt

Synonyms

delicate

Examples

"soft hands" "a baby's delicate skin"

Related terms

tender

5
[ adverb ] (informal) in a relaxed manner; or without hardship

Synonyms

easy

Examples

"just wanted to take it easy" (`soft' is nonstandard)

Used in print

(Dell Shannon, The Ace of Spades....)

She did n't mind working hard , not as if she figured to do anything wrong to live easy and soft - all she wanted was a chance , where she was n't marked as what she was .

Related terms

colloquialism easy cushy cushy

6
[ adjective ] (music) used chiefly as a direction or description in music

Synonyms

piano

Examples

"the piano passages in the composition"

7
[ adjective ] used of beverages; not containing alcohol

Synonyms

nonalcoholic

Examples

"nonalcoholic beverages" "soft drinks"

Related terms

alcoholic

8
[ adjective ] tolerant or lenient

Synonyms

indulgent lenient lax

Examples

"indulgent parents risk spoiling their children" "procedures are lax and discipline is weak" "too soft on the children"

Related terms

permissive

9
[ adjective ] of speech sounds; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh')

Related terms

hard palatal palatal fricative

10
[ adjective ] having little impact

Synonyms

easy gentle

Examples

"an easy pat on the shoulder" "gentle rain" "a gentle breeze" "a soft (or light) tapping at the window"

Related terms

light

11
[ adjective ] (informal) not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship

Synonyms

cushy

Examples

"what a cushy job!" "a soft job"

Related terms

colloquialism easy

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