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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soft \Soft\ (s[o^]ft; 115), adjective [Compar. {Softer} (s[o^]ft"[~e]r); superl. {Softest}.] [OE. softe, AS. s[=o]fte, properly adverb of s[=e]fte, adjective; akin to OS. s[=a]fto, adverb, D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adverb, semfti, adjective, G. sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin.]
1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also, malleable; -- opposed to {hard}; as, a soft bed; a soft peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth; delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. --Matt. xi. 8.
3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. "The soft, delicious air." --Milton.
4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . . . made the softest lights imaginable. --Sir T. Browne.
5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman. --Shak.
Soft were my numbers; who could take offense? --Pope.
6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible; gentle; kind.
I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's; Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. --Shak.
The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. --Tyndale.
7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
A soft answer turneth away wrath. --Prov. xv. 1.
A face with gladness overspread, Soft smiles, by human kindness bred. --Wordsworth.
8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering. --Jer. Taylor.
9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even, And bears thee soft with the smooth air along. --Milton.
10. Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's. --Glanvill.
11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad. --Burton.
12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing.
15. (Phonetics) (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in cone, etc.); -- opposed to {hard}. (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as distinguished from the surd, and considered as involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v, etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc.
{Soft clam} (Zool.), the common or long clam ({Mya arenaria}). See {Mya}.
{Soft coal}, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or hard, coal.
{Soft crab} (Zool.), any crab which has recently shed its shell.
{Soft dorsal} (Zool.), the posterior part of the dorsal fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
{Soft grass}. (Bot.) See {Velvet grass}.
{Soft money}, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or hard money. [Colloq. U.S.]
{Soft mute}. (Phonetics) See {Media}.
{Soft palate}. See the Note under {Palate}.
{Soft ray} (Zool.), a fin ray which is articulated and usually branched.
{Soft soap}. See under {Soap}.
{Soft-tack}, leavened bread, as distinguished from {hard-tack}, or {ship bread}.
{Soft tortoise} (Zool.), any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx. See {Trionyx}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soft \Soft\, noun A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloq.] --G. Eliot.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soft \Soft\, adverb Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. --Chaucer.
A knight soft riding toward them. --Spenser.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soft \Soft\, interj. Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
adverb
1: in a relaxed manner; or without hardship; "just wanted to take it easy" ('soft' is nonstandard) [syn: {easy}, {soft}]
adjective
1: yielding readily to pressure or weight [ant: {hard}]
2: compassionate and kind; conciliatory; "he was soft on his children" [ant: {hard}]
3: (of sound) relatively low in volume; "soft voices"; "soft music" [ant: {loud}]
4: easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: {delicate}, {soft}]
5: produced with vibration of the vocal cords; "a frequently voiced opinion"; "voiced consonants such as 'b' and 'g' and 'z'"; [syn: {voiced}, {sonant}, {soft}] [ant: {hard}, {surd}, {unvoiced}, {voiceless}]
6: not protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons); "soft targets" [ant: {hardened}]
7: used chiefly as a direction or description in music; "the piano passages in the composition" [syn: {piano}, {soft}] [ant: {forte}, {loud}]
8: (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected [syn: {soft}, {diffuse}, {diffused}] [ant: {concentrated}, {hard}]
9: (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as 's' and 'sh') [ant: {hard}]
10: (of a commodity or market or currency) falling or likely to fall in value; "the market for computers is soft"
11: using evidence not readily amenable to experimental verification or refutation; "soft data"; "the soft sciences"
12: tolerant or lenient; "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "too soft on the children"; "they are soft on crime" [syn: {indulgent}, {lenient}, {soft}]
13: soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe; "a gentle reprimand"; "a vein of gentle irony"; "poked gentle fun at him" [syn: {gentle}, {soft}]
14: having little impact; "an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft (or light) tapping at the window" [syn: {easy}, {gentle}, {soft}]
15: out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance; "he was too soft for the army"; "flabby around the middle"; "flaccid cheeks" [syn: {soft}, {flabby}, {flaccid}]
16: willing to negotiate and compromise
17: not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship; "what a cushy job!"; "the easygoing life of a parttime consultant"; "a soft job" [syn: {cushy}, {soft}, {easygoing}]
18: mild and pleasant; "balmy days and nights"; "the climate was mild and conducive to life or growth"; "a soft breeze" [syn: {balmy}, {mild}, {soft}]
19: not brilliant or glaring; "the moon cast soft shadows"; "soft pastel colors"; "subdued lighting" [syn: {soft}, {subdued}]
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Definitions retrieved from the Open Source DICT Webster's English and WordNet 3.0 dictionaries. Click here for database copyright information.
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