soft

1 not loud in pitch or volume <soft music played in the background while we ate> Synonyms dull, gentle, low, quiet Related Words dead, silent, still; calm, dreamy, hushed, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, stilly, tranquil; muffled, muted, softened, toned (down) Near Antonyms brazen, crashing, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous; grating, harsh, shrill, squealing, strident; clarion, clear, trumpetlike Antonyms blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, overloud, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing, roaring, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous

2 smooth or delicate in appearance or feel <I like this sweater the best because it is so soft and comfortable> Synonyms cottony, downy, satin, satiny, silken, silklike, silky, velvetlike, velvety Related Words creamy; chiffon, delicate, fine, slick; ultrasoft Near Antonyms bumpy, irregular, jagged, lumpy, pebbly; broken, jagged, ragged, roughened, rugged, scraggy; grainy, granular, gritty Antonyms coarse, harsh, rough, scratchy

3 giving easily to the touch <soft mattresses make it very easy to fall asleep, but they have a tendency to get lumpy> Synonyms flabby, mushy, pulpy, spongy, squashy, squishy, squooshy Related Words doughy, fleshy; droopy, flaccid, floppy, lank, limp, slack, yielding; bendable, compressible, crushable, elastic, flexible, kneadable, malleable, pliable, pliant, resilient, supple, willowy, workable; airy, light Near Antonyms inelastic, inflexible, rigid, stiff, tense, unbending, unyielding; resistant, sound, strong, sturdy, tough; case-hardened, crush-proof, hardened, indurated, stiffened, tempered; compacted, compressed, condensed; adamantine, rock, rocklike; sturdy, substantial Antonyms firm, hard, solid

4 involving minimal difficulty or effort <looking for a soft job in local government> Synonyms cheap, downhill, effortless, facile, fluent, fluid, hands-down, light, painless, ready, royal, simple, smooth, snap, easyRelated Words idiotproof, mindless, quick, straightforward, unchallenging, uncomplicated; apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakableNear Antonyms burdensome, exhausting, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful, taxing, troublesome; abstruse, complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty, problematic (also problematical), reconditeAntonyms arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, herculean, killer, labored, laborious, murderous, rough, severe, stiff, strenuous, toilful, toilsome, tough

5 lacking bodily strength <soft recruits who will get toughened up in the army> Synonyms asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, slight, weak, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weakened, wimpish, wimpyRelated Words challenged, disabled, incapacitated, invalid; paralyzed; broken-down, decrepit; impotent, powerless; breakable, flimsy, fragile; dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy; drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out; damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, lame, unsound; resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yieldingNear Antonyms able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, husky, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile; hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough; fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened; energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized; hale, healthy, sound; capable, competent; convalescing, recovering, recuperatingAntonyms mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong

6 lacking strength of will or character <a soft person who tends to yield to stronger personalities> Synonyms characterless, effete, frail, invertebrate, limp-wristed, milk-and-water, namby-pamby, nerveless, weak, spineless, weakened, weak-kneed, weakling, wet [British], wimpish, wimpy, wishy-washyRelated Words flabby, flaccid, forceless, ineffective, ineffectual; impotent, impuissant, powerless; emasculated, unnerved; lamblike, meek, pliable, submissive; corrupt, dastardly, unprincipled, unscrupulous, villainous; cowardly, craven, fainthearted, lily-livered, nebbishy, poltroon, pusillanimous, sissy, timid; infirm, irresolute, vacillatingNear Antonyms ethical, good, moral, principled, right, righteous, upright, virtuous; determined, mettlesome, resolute, unrelenting; courageous, stalwart, stoutheartedAntonyms backboned, firm, hard, strong, tough

7 not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect <a soft breeze coming off the lake> Synonyms balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, gentle, soothing, tenderRelated Words calm, pacific, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil; clement, compassionate, easy, lenient, merciful; buffering, cushioning, emollient, softening; sleek, slick, smoothNear Antonyms exquisite, fierce, intense, powerful, severe; forceful, forcible, savage, violent; roughened, rugged, strong; abrading, irritating, roughening; grim, gruff, rude, stiff; heavy-handed, oppressive, pitiless, tyrannical (also tyrannic)Antonyms abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing, stern, ungentle

8 providing physical comfort <a warm, soft bed to rest my weary bones> Synonyms comfy, cozy, cushy, easy, snug, comfortableRelated Words easeful, relaxing, reposeful, restful; gemütlich, genial, hospitable, inviting, pleasant; commodious, roomy, spacious; homelike, homely, intimateNear Antonyms hard, harsh, severe; inhospitable, uninviting, unpleasantAntonyms uncomfortable