softness

soft  (sôft, sft)

adj. soft·er, soft·est

1.

a. Easily molded, cut, or worked.

b. Yielding readily to pressure or weight.

2. Out of condition; flabby.

3. Smooth or fine to the touch: a soft fabric.

4.

a. Not loud, harsh, or irritating: a soft voice.

b. Not brilliant or glaring; subdued: soft colors.

5. Not sharply drawn or delineated: soft charcoal shading; a scene filmed in soft focus.

6. Mild; balmy: a soft breeze.

7.

a. Of a gentle disposition; tender.

b. Affectionate: a soft glance.

c. Attracted or emotionally involved: He has been soft on her for years.

d. Not stern; lenient.

e. Lacking strength of character; weak.

f. Informal Simple-minded; foolish.

8.

a. Informal Easy: a soft job.

b. Based on conciliation or negotiation rather than on threats or power plays: took a soft line toward their opponents.

c. Gradually declining in trend; not firm: a soft economy; a soft computer market.

9. Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts: limited the discussion to soft topics.

10. Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation: The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.

11. Softcore.

12. Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes: a soft right.

13. Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.

14. Having low dissolved mineral content.

15. Having a low or lower power of penetration: soft x-rays.

16. Linguistics

a. Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.

b. Voiced and weakly articulated: a soft consonant.

c. Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.

17. Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack: a soft target.

n.

A soft object or part.

adv.

In a soft manner; gently.

---

[Middle English, pleasant, calm, from Old English sfte.]

---

softly adv.

softness n.

---

softness [ˈsɒftnɪs]

n

1. the quality or an instance of being soft

2. (Engineering / Metallurgy) Metallurgy the tendency of a metal to distort easily Compare brittleness [2] toughness [2]

---

Softness 

1. Feels like walking on velvet —Slogan, Clinton Carpet Co.
2. Flabby as an empty sack —Luigi Pirandello
3. Flabby as a sponge —Guy de Maupassant
4. (Arm … ) flabby as butter —Katherine Mansfield
5. Fluffy as thistledown —William Humphrey
6. (When I reached out to touch it, it) gave like a rubber duck —T. Coraghessan Boyle
7. Gentle as a pigeon’s sound —Stephen Vincent Benét
8. (Squeezed the trigger as) gently as a bee touching down to drink from a cowslip —Donald Seaman
9. Gone limp as a bath towel —T. Coraghessan Boyle
10. Graceful as Venetian quill strokes —Clarence Major
11. Lank as a ghost —William Wordsworth
12. [A chocolate bar] limp as a slab of bacon —Margaret Atwood
13. Limp as calamari —Ira Wood
14. (Paper bags as) limp as cloth —Alice McDermott
15. (Arms) limp as old carrots —Anne Sexton
16. (The potted palms were) limp as old money —George Garrett
17. Looks soft as darkness folded on itself —Babette Deutsch
18. Soft and scented as a damask rose —Vita Sackville-West
19. Soft and silky as a kitten’s purr —Slogan, Alfred Decker Society Brand clothes
20. (You are) soft as a bean curd —John Hersey
21. (The rock was as white and as) soft as a bed —Vladimir Nabokov
22. Soft as a bowl of jello —Anon
23. [A distant ridge] soft as a cloud —William Wordsworth
24. (Love’s twilight hours) soft … as a fairy’s moan —John Greenleaf Whittier
25. Soft as a fat woman without a girdle —Anon
26. (Humble love in me would look for no return) soft as a guiding star that cheers, but cannot burn —William Wordsworth
27. (Cheeks) soft as a hound’s ear —Theodore Roethke
28. Soft as a kitten’s ear —Slogan used for both Hews & Potter belts and Spiegel Neckwear ties
29. Soft as a marshmallow —Anon

    Used primarily to imply a kind nature. “Soft as mush” is a common variation.

30. (His touch was) soft as an airbrush —Molly Giles
31. Soft as angel hair —Susan Richards Shreve
32. (Snow) soft as a young girl’s skin —F. D. Reeve
33. (Waves looked) soft as carded wool —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
34. Soft as fleece —Stephen Vincent Benét
35. Soft as linen —Hayden Carruth

    The simile, which describes a stone, continues with another: “And flows like wax.” A slight twist gave Scott tissues its “Soft as old linen” slogan.

36. Soft as lips that laugh —Algernon Charles Swinburne
37. Soft as love —Hallie Burnett
38. (Heartbeat) soft as snow on high snow falling —Daniel Berrigan
39. (Her cheeks were … ) soft as suet —Raymond Chandler
40. Soft as the thighs of women —W. D. Snodgrass
41. Soft as the west-wind’s sigh —W. S. Gilbert

    This form of the west-wind comparison comes from Ruddigore. Using the qualitative comparison form, “Softer than it” dates back to the poet Shelley.

42. Soft as yesterday’s ice cream —James Lee Burke
43. Soft as young down —William Shakespeare
44. Softening like pats of butter —John Updike

    In Updike’s story Made in Heaven, the comparison refers to the softening light in windows he describes as golden.

45. (You are) soft like a shower of water —William H. Gass
46. Soft, like a strokable cat —Beryl Markham
47. Soft to the touch as a handful of yarn —Jessamyn West
48. [Bodies] wobbly as custard —Alice Munro

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	softness - the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded consistency, eubstance, consistence, body - the property of holding together and retaining its shape; "wool has more body than rayon"; "when the dough has enough consistency it is ready to bake" compressibility, squeezability, sponginess - the property of being able to occupy less space downiness, featheriness, fluffiness - a light softness flabbiness, flaccidity, limpness - a flabby softness mushiness, pulpiness - a mushy pulpy softness hardness - the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale
	2.	softness - poor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury) unfitness health problem, ill health, unhealthiness - a state in which you are unable to function normally and without pain debility, feebleness, frailness, frailty, infirmity, valetudinarianism - the state of being weak in health or body (especially from old age) disability, disablement, handicap, impairment - the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability"; "hearing impairment"
	3.	softness - the quality of weather that is deliciously mild and soothing; "the day's heat faded into balminess"; "the climate had the softness of the south of France" balminess clemency, mildness - good weather with comfortable temperatures
	4.	softness - a state of declining economic condition; "orders have recently picked up after a period of extreme softness"; "he attributes the disappointing results to softness in the economy" economic condition - the condition of the economy
	5.	softness - a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency; "and in softness almost beyond hearing" sound property - an attribute of sound faintness - barely audible decrescendo, diminuendo - (music) a gradual decrease in loudness pianissimo, piano - (music) low loudness loudness, intensity, volume - the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction); "the kids played their music at full volume"
	6.	softness - a visual property that is subdued and free from brilliance or glare; "the softness of the morning sky" visual property - an attribute of vision
	7.	softness - acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered; "his fingers have learned gentleness"; "suddenly her gigantic power melted into softness for the baby"; "even in the pulpit there are moments when mildness of manner is not enough" gentleness, mildness personal manner, manner - a way of acting or behaving
	8.	softness - the quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines blurriness, fuzziness, indistinctness, fogginess opaqueness, opacity - the quality of being opaque to a degree; the degree to which something reduces the passage of light dimness, faintness - the quality of being dim or lacking contrast vagueness - indistinctness of shape or character; "the scene had the swirling vagueness of a painting by Turner" distinctness, sharpness - the quality of being sharp and clear
	9.	softness - the trait of being effeminate (derogatory of a man); "the students associated science with masculinity and arts with effeminacy"; "Spartans accused Athenians of effeminateness"; "he was shocked by the softness of the atmosphere surrounding the young prince, arising from the superfluity of the femininity that guided him" effeminacy, effeminateness, sissiness, unmanliness, womanishness femininity, muliebrity - the trait of behaving in ways considered typical for women emasculation - loss of power and masculinity derogation, disparagement, depreciation - a communication that belittles somebody or something
	10.	softness - a disposition to be lenient in judging others; "softness is not something permitted of good leaders" indulgence, lenience, leniency - a disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; "too much indulgence spoils a child"

Translations

softness [ˈsɒftnɪs] N

1. [of ground, bread] → blandura f, lo blando; [of pencil, water, butter] → lo blando; [of bed, pillow] → lo mullido; [of muscles, flesh] → blandura f

2. [of skin, hair, fabric] → suavidad f

3. [of breeze, touch, voice, light, colour] → suavidad f; [of light] → lo tenue

4. [of sound, laugh] → suavidad f

5. (= kindness) → ternura f

6. (= leniency) [of person, approach] → indulgencia f, blandura f

7. (= weakness) → debilidad f

8. (= stupidity) → estupidez f

softness [ˈsɒftnəs] n

[skin, hands, hair, fur, fabric] → douceur f

[ground, snow] → mollesse f; [bed, cushion, pillow] → douceur f, moelleux m

[light, colours, curves] → douceur f

[voice, music] → douceur f

(= leniency) → indulgence f

[market] → mollesse f
soft option n → solution f de facilité
soft pedal n (on piano) → pédale f douce
soft-pedal [ˌsɒftˈpɛd^əl]

vi → mettre la pédale douce

vt → mettre la pédale douce sur
soft porn n → porno m soft >
soft sell n → promotion f douce
soft shoulder n (US) → bande f d'arrêt d'urgence
soft-soap [ˌsɒftˈsəʊp] vt (= flatter) → caresser dans le sens du poil >
soft-spoken [ˌsɒftˈspəʊkən] adj → à la voix calme et posée
soft target n → cible f facile
soft top n (= car) → décapotable f
soft toy n → peluche f, jouet m en peluche

softness

n

→ Weichheit f; (of meat) → Zartheit f; (of muscle) → Schlaffheit f

(= smoothness, of skin) → Zartheit f; (of surface) → Glätte f; (of material, velvet) → Weichheit f; (of hair) → Seidigkeit f

(= gentleness) → Sanftheit f; (of light) → Gedämpftheit f; (of music) → leiser Klang; (of rain, breeze, pressure) → Sanftheit f, → Leichtheit f

(Ling, of consonant) → Weichheit f

(= weakness, of character, government) → Schwäche f; (of treatment) → Nachsichtigkeit f; (= leniency, of teacher, parent) → Gutmütigkeit f; (of judge, punishment) → Milde f

(= ease: of life, job) → Bequemlichkeit f

softness [ˈsɒftnɪs] n (of skin, bed, snow, leather) → morbidezza; (of voice, manner, glance) → dolcezza; (indulgence) → indulgenza