Meaning of soft In English

• 0 not hard or firm:

  • soft ground

  • a soft pillow/mattress

  • soft cheese

  • I like chocolates with soft centres.

  • Soft tissue, such as flesh, allows X-rays through.

  • soft lips/cheeks/skin/hair

  • soft leather

  • Look at you! You need more exercise. You're going/getting soft.

• 1 not forceful, loud, or easily noticed:

  • a soft voice/sound

  • soft music/lighting

  • a soft glow

  • She thinks I'm too soft on the kids when they misbehave.

  • The government can't be seen to be taking a soft line (= not being severe enough) with criminals.

• 2 not difficult:

  • He's got a pretty soft job - he hardly seems to do anything all day.

• 3 Soft water contains a low level of minerals and allows soap to make bubbles.

• 4 Soft drugs are illegal drugs that many people think are not dangerous.

• 5 In a soft market/economy there are more goods for sale than there are people to buy them, so prices are usually low.

• 6 not hard or firm; changing its shape when pressed:

  • The crabs are plucked from the water before their soft shells have had a chance to harden.

  • The baby’s skin feels so soft (= smooth and enjoyable to touch).

• 7 not forceful, loud, or easily noticed:

  • a soft voice

  • She likes soft pastel colors.

• 8 not strong; weak:

  • Car sales were soft last year.

  • If someone is said to be soft on crime, that person is thought to be not forceful enough in punishing criminals.

• 9 not difficult; easier than other things of the same type:

  • She asked some soft questions.

• 10 used to describe a market in which prices are not rising or are going down:

  • Its products may be good, but they cost a lot of money, which makes them difficult to sell in a soft market.

  • Deepening soft market conditions make profitable growth difficult to maintain.

• 11 used to describe prices, demand, sales, etc. that are not increasing or that are falling:

  • The industry is generally struggling with soft prices and expensive running costs.

  • Domestic demand is soft and the Fed could cut interest rates further.