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soft |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Soft \Soft\, a. [Compar. {Softer}; superl. {Softest}.] [OE. softe, AS s?fte, properly adv of s?fte, adj.; akin to OS s[=a]fto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto adv., semfti adj., 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} (Zo["o]l.), the common or long clam ({Mya arenaria}). See {Mya}. {Soft coal}, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or hard, coal. {Soft crab} (Zo["o]l.), any crab which has recently shed its shell. {Soft dorsal} (Zo["o]l.), 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} (Zo["o]l.), 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} (Zo["o]l.), any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx. See {Trionyx}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Soft \Soft\, n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloq.] --G. Eliot. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Soft \Soft\, adv Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. --Chaucer. A knight soft riding toward them --Spenser. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Soft \Soft\, interj. Be quiet; hold stop; not so fast From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: soft adj 1: lacking in hardness relatively or comparatively [ant: {hard}] 2: metaphorically soft; "my father is a soft touch"; "soft light"; "a soft rain"; "a soft Southern drawl"; "soft brown eyes"; "a soft glance" [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}] 5: used chiefly as a direction or description in music; "the piano passages in the composition" [syn: {piano}] [ant: {forte}] 6: used of beverages; not containing alcohol; "nonalcoholic beverages"; "soft drinks" [syn: {nonalcoholic}] [ant: {alcoholic}] 7: of speech sounds; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh') [ant: {hard}] 8: tolerant or lenient; "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "procedures are lax and discipline is weak"; "too soft on the children" [syn: {indulgent}, {lax}, {lenient}] 9: 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}] 10: (informal) not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship; "what a cushy job!"; "a soft job" [syn: {cushy}] adv : (informal) in a relaxed manner; or without hardship; "just wanted to take it easy" (`soft' is nonstandard) [syn: {easy}]
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