soft

soft
soft S2 W2 /sɒft $ sɒːft/ adjective (comparative softer, superlative softest)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