soft skills

British

plural noun

desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But in reality, it’s soft skills that are critical for navigating the workplace in the age of AI, says Ellevest CEO Sylvia Kwan.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

"It's... given me the opportunity to expand my soft skills and communication in a way that the day-to-day work doesn't always provide."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Though the event was staged with a knowing wink, its underlying premise was no joke: In the AI era, soft skills matter.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

That means workers in roles that typically require a lot of hard skills will need to buff up on soft skills.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

“I don’t think so. You need to work on some of your soft skills before I send you off to MIT. You need to be around your peers. Now, come on.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023