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soft skills

British  

plural noun

  1. 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.

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

High-performing companies hire lots of people out of college, expose them to multiple roles and teach soft skills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Further, the governor’s office said, “working allows children to learn valuable soft skills that will help them be successful.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

“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

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