soft
soft S2 W2 /sɒft $ sɒːft/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative softer, superlative softest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑softness, ↑softener, SOFTIE/SOFTY; verb: ↑soften; adverb: ↑softly; adjective: ↑soft]
[Language: Old English; Origin: softe]
1. NOT HARD
a) not hard, firm, or stiff, but easy to press OPP hard:
My feet sank into the soft ground.
the softest sofa and pillows
Cook the onions until they go soft.
b) less hard than average OPP hard:
a soft lead pencil
soft cheese
2. NOT ROUGH having a surface that is smooth and pleasant to touch OPP rough:
a baby’s soft skin
The fur was soft to the touch.
3. NOT LOUD a soft sound or voice, or soft music, is quiet and pleasant to listen to OPP loud, harsh:
soft music
His voice was softer now.
4. COLOUR/LIGHT [only before noun] soft colours or lights are pleasant and relaxing because they are not too bright OPP bright:
All the stores will be re-fitted with softer lighting.
a soft shade of peach
5. NO HARD EDGES not having any hard edges or sharp angles:
soft curves
6. RAIN/WIND gentle and without much force:
a soft breeze
soft rain
7. NOT STRICT someone who is soft seems weak because they are not strict enough with other people OPP strict, tough:
If you appear to be soft, people take advantage of you.
soft on
No politician wants to seem soft on crime.
Courts have been taking a soft line (=not being strict enough) with young offenders.
8. SENSITIVE kind, gentle, and sympathetic to other people OPP hard:
He has a soft heart beneath that cold exterior.
a soft kiss
9. WEAK CHARACTER not very brave and not having a strong character OPP hard:
Don’t be soft – just jump!
10. SALES/MARKETS decreasing in price, value, or the amount sold:
soft oil prices
11. soft loan/credit money that is lent at a lower interest rate than usual, because it will be used to help people in some way
12. soft money money that people, companies, or organizations give to political parties, rather than to a particular ↑candidate
13. TOO EASY informal a soft job, life etc is too easy and does not involve much work or hard physical work:
Mike’s found himself a soft job in the stores.
soft option British English (=a choice that allows you to avoid difficulties or hard work)
Taking the soft option won’t help your career to develop.
14. WEAK BODY informal having a body that is not in a strong physical condition, because you do not do enough exercise:
He’d got soft after all those years in a desk job.
15. WATER soft water does not contain many minerals, so that it forms bubbles from soap easily
16. have a soft spot for somebody to continue to like someone even when they do not behave well:
She’s always had a soft spot for Grant.
17. a soft touch informal someone from whom you can easily get what you want, because they are kind or easy to deceive
18. soft in the head old-fashioned very stupid or crazy
19. STUPID British English stupid or silly:
You must be soft if you think I’ll give you fifty quid!
20. be soft on somebody old-fashioned to be sexually attracted to someone
21. CONSONANTS technical not sounding hard:
a soft g
—softly adverb:
She stroked his head softly.
Music played softly in the background.
—softness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ soft not hard, firm, or stiff, but easy to press: a soft mattress | Her skin was lovely and soft. | soft ground
▪ tender used about meat or vegetables that are soft and easy to cut, especially because they have been well cooked: The beef was very tender. | Cook the carrots until tender.
▪ soggy very wet and too soft, in a way that seems unpleasant – used about bread, vegetables, and the ground: soggy cabbage | a piece of soggy bread | The ground was too soggy to walk on.
▪ squishy soft and easy to press – used especially about fruit that is too soft, and about soft wet ground which makes a noise when you walk on it: squishy tomatoes | The leaves were squishy under our feet.
▪ squashy British English soft and easy to press – used especially about fruit that is too soft, and about chairs that are soft and comfortable: The peaches have gone all squashy. | a big squashy sofa
▪ mushy used about fruit or vegetables that are very soft, wet, and unpleasant, because they are not fresh or have been cooked for too long: mushy pieces of banana | a few mushy carrots
▪ spongy soft and full of holes that contain air or liquid like a sponge: a spongy foam | a spongy loaf | His boots sank into the spongy soil.
▪ springy used about something that is soft and comes back to its normal shape after being pressed or walked on: springy turf (=grass) | Her hair felt lovely and springy.
▪ pliable /ˈplaɪəbəl/ used about a material or substance that can be bent or pressed without breaking or cracking: The clay was still pliable and not too dry.
▪ yielding literary used about a surface which is soft and will bend when you press it: yielding flesh
 COLLOCATIONS CHECK
▪ tender meat/vegetables
▪ soggy ground/bread/vegetables/paper
▪ squishy fruit/ground
▪ squashy fruit/chair
▪ mushy fruit/vegetables
▪ spongy ground/texture/foam/loaf
▪ springy hair/turf/carpet
▪ pliable material/clay
softhu| ◎ | [sɔft] | | ※ | tính từ | | | ■ | mềm, dẻo, dễ uốn, dễ cắt | | | ☆ | soft as butter | | | mềm như bún | | | ☆ | soft stone | | | thứ đá mềm | | | ■ | nhẵn, mịn, mượt | | | ☆ | soft skin | | | da mịn | | | ☆ | soft hair | | | tóc mượt | | | ■ | dịu, ôn hoà | | | ☆ | soft winter | | | mùa đông ôn hoà dễ chịu | | | ■ | không loè loẹt, dịu | | | ☆ | soft colours | | | màu dịu | | | ☆ | soft light | | | ánh sáng dịu | | | ☆ | soft voice | | | giọng dịu dàng | | | ☆ | soft music | | | nhạc êm dịu | | | ■ | nhẹ | | | ☆ | soft rain | | | mưa nhẹ | | | ■ | nhẹ nhàng, nhân nhượng, có tính chất hoà hoãn | | | ☆ | soft manners | | | thái độ nhẹ nhàng | | | ☆ | soft answer | | | câu trả lời hoà nhã | | | ■ | yếu đuối, uỷ mị, nhẽo, ẻo lả | | | ☆ | a soft luxurious people | | | bọn người xa hoa uỷ mị | | | ■ | yên, êm đềm | | | ☆ | soft slumbers | | | giấc ngủ yên | | | ■ | có cảm tình, dễ thương cảm, có từ tâm | | | ■ | (thuộc) tình yêu, (thuộc) chuyện trai gái | | | ☆ | soft nothings | | | chuyện tỉ tê trai gái | | | ☆ | to be soft on someone | | | phải lòng ai | | | ■ | mưa, ẩm ướt, ướt át | | | ☆ | soft weather | | | thời tiết ẩm ướt | | | ☆ | a soft day | | | ngày mưa | | | ■ | không có muối khoáng (nước ăn) | | | ■ | (ngôn ngữ học) mềm hoá (âm) | | | ■ | (từ lóng) dễ dàng | | | ☆ | soft job | | | việc dễ | | | ☆ | soft thing | | | công việc nhẹ nhàng nhưng lương hậu | | | ■ | khờ khạo, ngờ nghệch | | ※ | danh từ | | | ■ | chỗ mềm; vật mềm | | | ■ | người nhu nhược; người ẻo lả | | ※ | phó từ | | | ■ | nhẹ nhàng | | | ■ | mềm mỏng, yếu ớt, ẻo lả | | ※ | thán từ | | | ■ | (từ cổ,nghĩa cổ) chờ một tí! | | | ■ | im! câm! |
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