noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being soft.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
softness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
General-American: /ˈsɔftnəs/
-
cot-caught-merger: /ˈsɑftnəs/
-
Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɒftnəs/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
CMU ARPABET: S AO1 F T N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
-
CMU ARPABET 2: S AO1 F N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
a disposition to be lenient in judging others
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- softness is not something permitted of good leaders
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: indulgence, lenience, leniency
noun
Meaning 3
the trait of being effeminate (derogatory of a man)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: effeminacy, effeminateness, sissiness, womanishness, unmanliness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: femininity, muliebrity
Narrower terms: emasculation
noun
Meaning 4
the quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: indistinctness, blurriness, fogginess, fuzziness
Antonyms: sharpness
Broader terms: opacity, opaqueness
Narrower terms: dimness, faintness, vagueness
noun
Meaning 5
acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gentleness, mildness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: manner, personal manner
noun
Meaning 6
the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: hardness
Broader terms: consistency, consistence, eubstance, body
Narrower terms: compressibility, squeezability, sponginess, downiness, featheriness, fluffiness, flabbiness, limpness, flaccidity, mushiness, pulpiness
noun
Meaning 7
a visual property that is subdued and free from brilliance or glare
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the softness of the morning sky
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: visual property
noun
Meaning 8
a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- and in softness almost beyond hearing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: loudness
Broader terms: sound property
Narrower terms: faintness, decrescendo, diminuendo, piano, pianissimo
noun
Meaning 9
a state of declining economic condition
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- orders have recently picked up after a period of extreme softness
- he attributes the disappointing results to softness in the economy
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: economic condition
noun
Meaning 10
the quality of weather that is deliciously mild and soothing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the day's heat faded into balminess
- the climate had the softness of the south of France
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: balminess
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mildness, clemency
noun
Meaning 11
poor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unfitness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: ill health, unhealthiness, health problem
Narrower terms: infirmity, frailty, debility, feebleness, frailness, valetudinarianism, disability, disablement, handicap, impairment
History
Etymology
From Middle English softnesse, from Old English sōftnes, alteration of earlier sēftnes. Equivalent to soft + -ness.
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: نُعُومَة (nuʕūma) — the quality of being soft
- Catalan: suavitat — the quality of being soft
- Czech: měkkost — the quality of being soft
- French: douceur — the quality of being soft
- Galician: suavidade — the quality of being soft
- Georgian: სირბილე (sirbile) — the quality of being soft
- German: Weichheit — the quality of being soft
- Greek: απαλότητα (apalótita) — the quality of being soft
- Ancient Greek: ἁπαλότης (hapalótēs) — the quality of being soft
- Ancient Greek: μαλακία (malakía) — the quality of being soft
- Gujarati: કોમળતા (komaḷtā) — the quality of being soft
- Gujarati: નમ્રતા (namratā) — the quality of being soft
- Gujarati: નરમી (narmī) — the quality of being soft
- Gujarati: નરમાશ (narmāś) — the quality of being soft
- Gujarati: મૃદુતા (mŕdutā) — the quality of being soft
- Hindi: कोमलता (komaltā) — the quality of being soft
- Irish: leibideacht — the quality of being soft
- Italian: morbidezza — the quality of being soft
- Latin: mollitūdō — the quality of being soft
- Latin: lenitas — the quality of being soft
- Latvian: mīkstums — the quality of being soft
- Malayalam: മൃദുത്വം (mr̥dutvaṁ) — the quality of being soft
- Norwegian Nynorsk: mjukleik — the quality of being soft
- Old English: sēftnes — the quality of being soft
- Piedmontese: meuj — the quality of being soft
- Portuguese: suavidade — the quality of being soft
- Romanian: moliciune — the quality of being soft
- Russian: мя́гкость (mjáxkostʹ) — the quality of being soft
- Spanish: suavidad — the quality of being soft
- Spanish: molicie — the quality of being soft
- Swahili: wororo — the quality of being soft
- Swahili: ulaini — the quality of being soft
- Swedish: mjukhet — the quality of being soft
- Telugu: కోమలత్వం (kōmalatvaṁ) — the quality of being soft
- Telugu: మెత్తన (mettana) — the quality of being soft
- Ottoman Turkish: لینت (linet) — the quality of being soft
- Urdu: نَرْمی (narmī) — the quality of being soft