SOFT


Meaning of SOFT in English

— softly , adv. — softness , n.

/sawft, soft/ , adj., softer, softest , n., adv., interj.

adj.

1. yielding readily to touch or pressure; easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape; not hard or stiff: a soft pillow.

2. relatively deficient in hardness, as metal or wood.

3. smooth and agreeable to the touch; not rough or coarse: a soft fabric; soft skin.

4. producing agreeable sensations; pleasant or comfortable: soft slumber.

5. low or subdued in sound; gentle and melodious: soft music; a soft voice.

6. not harsh or unpleasant to the eye; not glaring: soft light; a soft color.

7. not hard or sharp: soft outlines.

8. gentle or mild: soft breezes.

9. genial or balmy, as climate or air.

10. gentle, mild, warm-hearted, or compassionate: a soft, grandmotherly woman.

11. smooth, soothing, or ingratiating: soft words.

12. not harsh or severe, as a penalty or demand.

13. responsive or sympathetic to the feelings, emotions, needs, etc., of others; tender-hearted.

14. sentimental or flowery, as language: soft, meaningless talk.

15. not strong or robust; delicate; incapable of great endurance or exertion: He was too soft for the Marines.

16. Informal. easy; involving little effort; not difficult, laborious, trying, or severe: a soft job.

17. Informal. easily influenced or swayed; easily imposed upon; impressionable.

18. lenient, permissive, or conciliatory, esp. regarding something that is conceived of as dangerous or threatening: to be soft on Communism.

19. (of water) relatively free from mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.

20. (of paper money or a monetary system) not supported by sufficient gold reserves or not easily convertible into a foreign currency.

21. (of a market, market condition, or prices) declining in value, volume, profitability, etc.; weak: a soft tourist season. Cf. firm 1 (def. 7).

22. (of money) plentiful or available at low interest rates or on easy terms: a soft loan.

23. soft-core.

24. Metall.

a. (of a metal) easily magnetized and demagnetized.

b. (of solder) fusing readily.

c. (of a metal or alloy) fully annealed, so as to provide minimum mechanical hardness.

25. Photog.

a. (of a photographic image) having delicate gradations of tone.

b. (of a focus) lacking in sharpness.

c. (of a lens) unable to be focused sharply.

26. Phonet.

a. (of consonants) lenis, esp. lenis and voiced.

b. (of c and g ) pronounced as in cent and gem.

c. (of consonants in Slavic languages) palatalized. Cf. hard (def. 38).

27. Mil. (of a missile-launching base) aboveground and relatively unprotected from enemy attack.

28. Aerospace. (of a landing of a space vehicle) gentle; not harmful to the vehicle or its contents: a soft landing on the moon.

29. Physics. (of a beam of particles or electromagnetic radiation) having relatively low energy: soft x-rays. Cf. hard (def. 40).

30. (of a delegate, voter, etc.) not committed to any one candidate.

31. foolish or stupid: soft in the head.

32. (of a detergent) readily biodegradable.

33. be soft on someone , Informal. to be amorously inclined toward a person; have an affection for: He's been soft on her for years.

n.

34. something that is soft or yielding; the soft part.

35. softness.

adv.

36. in a soft manner.

interj. Archaic.

37. be quiet! hush!

38. not so fast! stop!

[ bef. 1000; ME softe yielding, gentle, mild, OE softe agreeable; c. G sanft ]

Syn. 1. pliable, plastic, malleable. 5. mellifluous, dulcet, sweet. 10. tender, sympathetic. 11. mollifying. 15. weak, feeble. 17. compliant, irresolute, submissive.

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .