soapy

American  

[soh-pee] / ˈsoʊ pi /

adjective

soapier, soapiest

1. containing or impregnated with soap.

   soapy water.

2. covered with soap or lather.

   soapy dishes.

3. of the nature of soap; resembling soap.

   a soft, soapy fiber.

4. pertaining to or characteristic of soap.

   a clean, soapy smell.

5. Informal. characteristic or reminiscent of a soap opera; melodramatic; corny.

   a soapy plot.

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soapy British  

/ ˈsəʊpɪ /

adjective

1. containing or covered with soap

   soapy water

2. resembling or characteristic of soap

3. slang flattering or persuasive

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noun

1. a variant of soapie

Other Word Forms

• soapiness
  noun
• soapily
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of soapy

First recorded in 1600–10; soap + -y ¹

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Explanation

Things that have soap in (or on) them are soapy, and things that resemble soap because they're frothy or foamy are also soapy. Your cat won't be happy if you pet him with your soapy hands, and you won't be happy if your hot chocolate tastes vaguely soapy. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "overly flattering and fake." The soapy compliment you give your teacher will be just as distasteful to your classmates as that soapy hot chocolate was to you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

soapy soapier soapiest

Talc is a natural mineral made of magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen, known for its soapy feel and is often used in baby powder.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Instead, she unwisely took a soapy dishcloth to your table, which probably made the stain worse.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

Warm, soapy water or a gentle all-purpose spray will take care of most surfaces.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026

The bestselling novelist co-wrote this soapy adaptation of her own book, following a mother fresh out of prison who attempts to reconnect with her young daughter—and starts to fall for the dead father’s best friend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

When we finally coaxed him out, after all the splashing and laughter, he would sit on the edge of the tub and twist his knuckles into his eyes, which were red from the soapy water.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

At the same time "The Vow" doesn't completely eschew the soapier aspects of this case.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2020

It has seemed soapier than it did in the first place, and even then it sure was soapy.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 17, 2019

Add in the acrimonies and resentments among his adult children and you’ve basically got a “Dallas” in the making, but the series shuns some of its soapier tendencies for deadly serious authenticity.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2018

“The Night Of …” was written by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian, though, and Mr. Moffat’s own work, including “Criminal Justice” and the legal drama “Silk,” is slicker and soapier.

From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2017

Frost leaned more heavily into the soapier and kookier elements of the series.

From Seattle Times ● May 18, 2017

As a result, X-Men became, as Howe put it, “the soapiest soap saga ever put forth by the House of Ideas, filled with agonized romances, self-confidence crises, lectures on morality, psychic scars, and worrying.”

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2019

Jane the Virgin is a telenovela that, along with the soapiest of plot shenanigans, has taken on joy, loss, immigration, and breast-feeding.

From Slate ● Jul. 5, 2018

Yet despite all that, a hostile takeover attempt, and Lucious’s getting sent to jail in the final moments, the soapiest moment was both a throwback and a nod to present-day.

From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2015

Even the soapiest element of the pilot—Rayna and Juliette's "feud"—is very understated.

From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2013

That, to be sure, was nothing spectacular for the script of All My Children, one of television's soapiest midday dramas.

From Time Magazine Archive

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