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Soft vs Soothe - What's the difference?

soft | soothe |

As an adjective soft

is easily giving way under pressure.

As an interjection soft

is (archaic) be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.

As an adverb soft

is (lb) softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.

As a noun soft

is a soft or foolish person; an idiot.

As a verb soothe is

(obsolete) to prove true; verify; confirm as true.

soft

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Easily giving way under pressure.
  • My head sank easily into the soft pillow.
  • (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.
  • Polish the silver with a soft cloth to avoid scratching.
    soft''' silk; a '''soft skin
  • * Bible, Matt. xi. 8
  • They that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
  • Gentle.
  • There was a soft breeze blowing.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's; / Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine.
  • * Tyndale
  • The meek or soft shall inherit the earth.
  • Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind.
  • soft eyes
  • * Bible, Proverbs xv. 1
  • A soft answer turneth away wrath.
  • * Wordsworth
  • A face with gladness overspread, / Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.
  • Gentle in action or motion; easy.
  • * Milton
  • On her soft axle, white she paces even, / And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
  • Weak in character; impressible.
  • * Glanvill
  • The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
  • Requiring little or no effort; easy.
  • a soft job
  • Not bright or intense.
  • soft lighting
  • (of a road intersection) Having an acute angle.
  • At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the soft left.
  • (of a sound) Quiet.
  • I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Her voice was ever soft , / Gentle, and low, — an excellent thing in woman.
  • (linguistics) voiced, sonant
  • DH represents the voiced (soft)'' th ''of English these clothes. —
  • (linguistics, rare) voiceless
  • (linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized
  • (slang) Lacking strength or resolve, wimpy.
  • When it comes to drinking, he is as soft as they come.
  • (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.
  • You won't need as much soap, as the water here is very soft .
  • (UK, colloquial) Foolish.
  • * Burton
  • He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.
  • (physics) Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (compare hard)
  • (of a person) Physically or emotionally weak.
  • Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action.
  • The admin imposed a soft''' block/ban on the user or a '''soft lock on the article.
  • (UK, of a man) Effeminate.
  • * Jeremy Taylor
  • A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft , and wandering.
  • Agreeable to the senses.
  • a soft liniment
    soft wines
  • * Milton
  • the soft , delicious air
  • Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye.
  • soft colours
    the soft outline of the snow-covered hill
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
  • The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds made the softest lights imaginable.

    Synonyms

    * (of a cloth) non-abrasive, fluffy * (gentle) gentle, light, nesh * (of a sound) quiet * (lacking strength or resolve) meek, mild, wimpy, nesh * (foolish) daft, foolish, silly, stupid

    Antonyms

    * (giving way under pressure) hard, resistant, solid, stony * (of a cloth) abrasive, scratchy * (gentle) harsh, rough, strong * (acute) hard * (of a sound) loud * (lacking strength or resolve) firm, strict, tough * (of water) hard * (foolish) sensible

    Derived terms

    * soft-boiled * soft copy * soft drink * soften * soft focus * soft-hearted * softly * softness * soft on * soft palate * soft power * soft science fiction * soft serve * soft shoe * soft soap * soft-spoken * soft touch * soft toy * software * softwood * softy

    See also

    * mollify

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (archaic) Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Soft , you; a word or two before you go.
    But, soft ! What light through yonder window breaks?

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (lb) Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
  • *(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • *:A knight soft riding toward them.
  • *
  • *:There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A soft or foolish person; an idiot.
  • (George Eliot)

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    soothe

    English

    Verb

    (sooth)
  • (obsolete) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
  • (obsolete) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
  • (obsolete) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.
  • To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
  • To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
  • * 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Andros Townsend calms England's nerves in taming of Montenegro'' (in ''The Guardian , 11 October 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/11/england-montenegro-world-cup-qualifier]
  • Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, to soothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job.
  • To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
  • (rare) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
  • To calm or placate someone or some situation.
  • To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
  • To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
  • To bring comfort or relief.
  • Derived terms

    * soothing