soft

The word “soft” means giving way easily under pressure; not hard or firm. In plain terms, not hard, harsh, or intense — used for textures, sounds, light, and even attitudes or rules.

“Soft” is pronounced soft (/sɔft/ in IPA).

Here is “soft” used in a sentence: “The bread was still soft and warm from the oven.”

Words with a similar meaning to “soft” include cushiony, flabby, flaccid, flexible, spongy and mellow.

The opposite of “soft” — its antonyms — are hard, firm, resistant, solid and stony.

“Soft” is an adjective.

The word “soft” comes from Old English. From Old English softe, from a Germanic root meaning "smooth, even, agreeable" — related to the word "same.".

“Soft” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

Soft and hard are opposites describing how a material responds to pressure. Something soft gives way easily, bending, squashing, or denting when pressed, like a pillow or clay. Something hard resists pressure and keeps its shape, like stone or metal. The line between them is relative and depends on what you compare.

In the sense of firmness, the main opposite is hard, along with firm, stiff, rigid, or solid. A soft mattress yields under your weight; a firm one resists it. In other senses soft can also contrast with harsh, loud, or strong, but hard is the core opposite for texture.

A feather pillow, a ripe peach, fresh bread, cotton wool, a plush toy, and modelling clay are all soft, because they give way when pressed. The word also stretches to soft fabrics like velvet, and figuratively to soft sounds, soft lighting, or a gentle, soft voice.