softly
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soft
(sôft, sŏft)adj. soft·er, soft·est
1.
a. Yielding readily to pressure or weight: a soft melon; a soft pillow.
b. Easily molded, cut, or worked: soft wood.
c. Sports Not tense and therefore capable of absorbing the impact of a ball or puck and of catching, receiving, or controlling it: a receiver with soft hands.
2. Out of condition; flabby: got soft sitting at a desk all day.
3. Smooth or fine to the touch: a soft fabric; soft fur.
4.
a. Not loud, harsh, or irritating: a soft voice.
b. Not brilliant or glaring; subdued: soft colors.
5. Not sharply drawn or delineated: soft charcoal shading; a scene filmed in soft focus.
6. Mild; balmy: a soft breeze.
7.
a. Tender or affectionate: a soft glance.
b. Attracted or emotionally involved: He has been soft on her for years.
c. Not stern; lenient: a coach who was soft on his players.
d. Lacking strength of character; weak: too soft for the pressure of being a spy.
e. Informal Simple-minded or foolish: He's soft in the head.
8.
a. Not demanding or difficult; easy: a soft job.
b. Based on conciliation or compromise: took a soft line toward their opponents.
c. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.
d. Sports Scored on a shot that the goalie should have blocked: a soft goal.
9. Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts: limited the discussion to soft topics.
10. Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation: The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.
11. Softcore.
12. Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes: a soft right.
13. Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.
14. Having low dissolved mineral content: soft water.
15.
a. Nonalcoholic.
b. Nonaddictive or mildly addictive. Used of certain drugs.
16. Having a low or lower power of penetration: soft x-rays.
17. Linguistics
a. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
b. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.
c. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
18. Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack: a soft target.
adv.
In a soft manner; gently.
[Middle English, pleasant, calm, from Old English sōfte.]
soft′ly adv.
soft′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Adv. | 1. | softly - with low volume; "speak softly but carry a big stick"; "she spoke quietly to the child"; "the radio was playing softly" |
| 2. | softly - in a manner that is pleasing to the senses; "she smiled softly" | |
| 3. | softly - with little weight or force; "she kissed him lightly on the forehead" | |
| 4. | softly - used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
بِنُعومَه
měkcetiše
blidtblødtdæmpetmildt
lágyan
mjúklega
mäkko
mehkonežno
alçak sesletatlı tatlı
softly
[ˈsɒftlɪ] ADV1. (= quietly) [walk, move] → silenciosamente, sin hacer ruido; [say] → bajito, en voz baja; [whistle] → bajito
he closed the door softly → cerró la puerta silenciosamente
he swore softly → dijo una palabrota en voz baja, susurró una palabrota
the radio was playing softly in the kitchen → la radio sonaba bajito en la cocina
a softly spoken young man → un joven de voz suave
he closed the door softly → cerró la puerta silenciosamente
he swore softly → dijo una palabrota en voz baja, susurró una palabrota
the radio was playing softly in the kitchen → la radio sonaba bajito en la cocina
a softly spoken young man → un joven de voz suave
2. (= gently) [touch, tap, kiss] → suavemente; [smile] → con ternura, dulcemente; [say] → dulcemente
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
softly
[ˈsɒftli] adv (= gently) [touch, stroke, kiss] → doucement
(= quietly) [speak, whisper, laugh, play] → doucement
(= not brightly) [shine, glow] → doucementsoft margarine n → margarine f (facile à tartiner)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
softly
adv
(= gently, tenderly) → sanft; (= not loud) → leise; rain, blow → leicht, sacht; her hair falls softly round her shoulders → ihr Haar fällt weich auf die Schultern; a softly blowing breeze → ein sanfter or schwacher Wind; softly whipped cream → leicht geschlagene Sahne; to be softly spoken → eine angenehme Stimme haben; softly lit → gedämpft beleuchtet
(= leniently) → nachsichtig
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
soft
(soft) adjective1. not hard or firm; easily changing shape when pressed. a soft cushion.
2. pleasantly smooth to the touch. The dog has a soft, silky coat.
3. not loud. a soft voice.
4. (of colour) not bright or harsh. a soft pink.
5. not strict (enough). You are too soft with him.
6. (of a drink) not alcoholic. At the party they were serving soft drinks as well as wine and spirits.
7. childishly weak, timid or silly. Don't be so soft – the dog won't hurt you.
ˈsoftly adverbˈsoftness noun
soften (ˈsofn) verb
to make or become soft or softer, less strong or less painful. The thick walls softened the noise of the explosion.
ˌsoft-ˈboiled adjective (of eggs) slightly boiled, so that the yolk is still soft. She likes her eggs soft-boiled.
ˌsoft-ˈhearted adjective kind-hearted and generous. He had been given some money by a soft-hearted aunt.
ˌsoft-ˈspoken adjective having a gentle voice or manner. She was a soft-spoken woman with a shy smile.
ˈsoftware noun computer programs, as opposed to the machines themselves (ˈhardware).
ˈsoftwood noun, adjective (of) the wood of a conebearing tree eg a pine. softwood furniture.
have a soft spot for to have a weakness for (someone or something) because of great affection. He's always had a soft spot for his youngest son.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.