soft

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Etymology 1.3 Adjective 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Antonyms 1.3.3 Derived terms 1.3.4 Translations 2 French 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Noun 2.3 Adjective 3 Italian 3.1 Etymology 3.2 Adjective

[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP) enPR: sŏft, IPA: /sɒft/, SAMPA: /sQft/
• (US) enPR: säft, IPA: /sɑft/, SAMPA: /sAft/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

  Rhymes: -ɒft

[edit] Etymology

Old English sēfte (whence later: sōfte)

[edit] Adjective

soft (comparative softer, superlative softest)

1. Giving way under pressure.

   My head sank easily into the soft pillow.

2. (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible.

   Polish the silver with a soft cloth to avoid scratching.

3. Gentle.

   There was a soft breeze blowing.

4. (of a road intersection) Having an acute angle.

   At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the soft left.

5. (of a sound) Quiet.

   I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees.

6. (linguistics) voiced, sonant

   DH represents the voiced (soft) th of English these clothes. — The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

7. (linguistics) (rare) voiceless
8. (linguistics) palatalized
9. (slang) Lacking strength or resolve, wimpy.

   When it comes to drinking, he is as soft as they come.

10. (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.

    You won't need as much soap, as the water here is very soft.

11. (Northern British, colloquial) Foolish.
12. (physics) Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (c.f. hard)

[edit] Synonyms

• (of a cloth): non-abrasive, fluffy
• (gentle): gentle, light
• (of a sound): quiet
• (lacking strength or resolve): meek, mild, wimpy
• (foolish): daft, foolish, silly, stupid

[edit] Antonyms

• (giving way under pressure): hard, resistant, solid, stony
• (of a cloth): abrasive, scratchy
• (gentle): harsh, rough, strong
• (acute): hard
• (of a sound): loud
• (lacking strength or resolve): firm, strict, tough
• (of water): hard
• (foolish): sensible

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

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[edit] French

[edit] Etymology

From English soft

[edit] Noun

soft m. (plural softs)

1. (sexuality) soft porn
2. (computing) (uncountable) Software.
3. (computing) (countable) A piece of software.

[edit] Adjective

soft (epicene, plural softs)

1. softcore (pornography)

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[edit] Italian

[edit] Etymology

English

[edit] Adjective

soft inv.

1. soft (tone etc; temporary (computing))