yielding readily to touch or pressure; easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape; not hard or stiff

a soft pillow.

relatively deficient in hardness, as metal or wood.

smooth and agreeable to the touch; not rough or coarse

a soft fabric; soft skin.

producing agreeable sensations; pleasant or comfortable

soft slumber.

low or subdued in sound; gentle and melodious

soft music; a soft voice.

not harsh or unpleasant to the eye; not glaring

soft light; a soft color.

not hard or sharp

soft outlines.

gentle or mild

soft breezes.

genial or balmy, as climate or air.

gentle, mild, warm-hearted, or compassionate

a soft, grandmotherly woman.

smooth, soothing, or ingratiating

soft words.

not harsh or severe, as a penalty or demand.

responsive or sympathetic to the feelings, emotions, needs, etc., of others; tender-hearted.

sentimental or flowery, as language

soft, meaningless talk.

not strong or robust; delicate; incapable of great endurance or exertion

He was too soft for the Marines.

Informal . easy; involving little effort; not difficult, laborious, trying, or severe

a soft job.

Informal . easily influenced or swayed; easily imposed upon; impressionable.

lenient, permissive, or conciliatory, esp. regarding something that is conceived of as dangerous or threatening

to be soft on Communism.

(of water) relatively free from mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.

(of paper money or a monetary system) not supported by sufficient gold reserves or not easily convertible into a foreign currency.

(of a market, market condition, or prices) declining in value, volume, profitability, etc.; weak

a soft tourist season. Compare firm 1 def. 7

(of money) plentiful or available at low interest rates or on easy terms

a soft loan.

soft-core.

Metallurgy .

(of a metal) easily magnetized and demagnetized.

(of solder) fusing readily.

(of a metal or alloy) fully annealed, so as to provide minimum mechanical hardness.

Photography .

(of a photographic image) having delicate gradations of tone.

(of a focus) lacking in sharpness.

(of a lens) unable to be focused sharply.

Phonetics .

(of consonants) lenis, esp. lenis and voiced.

(of c and g ) pronounced as in cent and gem.

(of consonants in Slavic languages) palatalized. Compare hard ( def. 38 ) .

Military . (of a missile-launching base) aboveground and relatively unprotected from enemy attack.

Aerospace . (of a landing of a space vehicle) gentle; not harmful to the vehicle or its contents

a soft landing on the moon.

Physics . (of a beam of particles or electromagnetic radiation) having relatively low energy

soft x-rays. Compare hard def. 40

(of a delegate, voter, etc.) not committed to any one candidate.

foolish or stupid

soft in the head.

(of a detergent) readily biodegradable.

something that is soft or yielding; the soft part.

softness.

in a soft manner.

be quiet! hush!

not so fast! stop! ?

be soft on someone

Informal . to be amorously inclined toward a person; have an affection for

He's been soft on her for years.

adverb

agilely , airily , breezily , carelessly , daintily , delicately , faintly , gently , gingerly , gradually , nimbly , quietly , smoothly , tenderly