soft rock

noun

: rock music that is less driving and gentler sounding than hard rock

Examples of soft rock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The middle ground can be a worthwhile frontier, as evinced by the mellow, incense-scented soft rock of an album like Clairo’s Charm, and the Sullivans explore that same blissful, lived-in palette. W. Reed Putnam, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026 Throughout her decades-long career, Bonnie Tyler recorded pop, country and soft rock music and scored hits with each style, but she is remembered primarily for her decade-defining rock smashes. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 But elsewhere the dominant influence seems to be seventies soft rock. Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 8 May 2026 The Dead was already such a crazy scene, but there are all these soft rock stations playing that song. Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for soft rock

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soft rock was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Soft rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft%20rock. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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