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say it: SAWFT-nuhs
softness is a noun meaning "the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded". It is pronounced /ˈsɔftnəs/ — SAWFT-nuhs. It carries 10 recorded senses.
the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded
poor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury)
a state of declining economic condition
“orders have recently picked up after a period of extreme softness”
“he attributes the disappointing results to softness in the economy”
a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency
“and in softness almost beyond hearing”
a visual property that is subdued and free from brilliance or glare
“the softness of the morning sky”
acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered
“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”
the trait of being effeminate (derogatory of a man)
“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”
disparagement
a disposition to be lenient in judging others
“softness is not something permitted of good leaders”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for softness come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.