softly

adverb

Definition of softlynext
1
as in quietly

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in lightly

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of softly Oh, and the doors open and close softly at the touch of a button. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026 Sinatra and Dean Martin croon softly on the speakers (until the occasional Charli xcx track sneaks in). — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 From faux foliage on the ceiling to animal sounds playing softly in the bathroom stalls, the whole experience feels as if the Rainforest Café was rebranded for adults with deep pockets. — Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026 Her layered blonde hair was worn in big, voluminous curls, while bronzed skin, softly smoked eyes, and a pinky-nude lip completed the look. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026 Around me, in the nosebleeds, were a mix of children in big friend groups and softly bopping couples. — Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026 Giannulli has the same softly layered brunette hair and delicate features, and in these images, the likeness is impossible to miss. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026 An eclectic mix of art adds personality, while cafe curtains softly filter sunlight through tall windows overlooking Johnson Square to the north and Bull Street to the west. — Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026 There was a new moon, a thin crescent of pale light, shining softly in the sky. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softly
  1. quietly
  2. lightly
  3. faintly
  4. gently
  5. feebly
  6. tenderly
  7. noiselessly
Adverb
  • Meanwhile, Alexey Tsydenov, head of the neighboring Buryatia republic, publicly confirmed her death was linked to a plague infection before quietly editing his statement hours later to use more ambiguous phrasing.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Chiefs beat the Raiders 30-27 to remain unbeaten and hand the surprising upstart Las Vegas its first loss — though the Raiders didn’t go quietly, reaching midfield on their final effort.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of quietly
Adverb
  • Dress the green and red baby gem lettuce with enough Caesar dressing to coat lightly.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The pressure might wear on another actor, but Zada carries the weight of such company lightly.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of lightly
Adverb
  • Three hours after Thomas Jefferson died at his Monticello home on July 4, 1826, his personal secretary, Nicholas Trist, snipped a lock of the Founder’s gray hair, still faintly reddish blond.
    — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The film is Bullock’s first in four years, and critics are ever-so-faintly praising her return to the big screen.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of faintly
Adverb
  • But the man simply stood there with a dazed expression on his face, swaying gently in the living room of their small, cramped flat, like a lone tree in the breeze.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The play is a gently unfolding, calmly delivered tale of the decades of horrors endured by a real-life person named Eddie Jaku.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of gently
Adverb
  • Chief swam feebly across, joined the other two horses on the bank, and stood there shaking.
    — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
  • Judge lined it feebly into the glove of an outfielder.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Definition of feebly
Adverb
  • Greene, who loves to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, uses this premise as a way to tenderly explore these people’s lives.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of tenderly
Adverb
  • Small branches can be clipped quickly and almost noiselessly and fashioned into an effective blind in only a few minutes.
    — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
  • On a brilliant midsummer morning, my wife and I stepped into a black Zodiac raft and drifted noiselessly among icebergs five stories high, their emerald and aquamarine walls gleaming above sapphire waters.
    — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of noiselessly

Browse Nearby Words

softies
softly
softness
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Cite this Entry

“Softly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softly. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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