soft power

British

noun

the ability to achieve one's goals without force, esp by diplomacy, persuasion, etc Compare hard power

"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.

Plenty of countries see the contest as a way to project a little soft power, however.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

China has been sharpening its soft power and offering overseas tourists visa-free entry.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

It projected American generosity and soft power in ways that built lasting alliances far more efficiently than could ever be achieved militarily.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

She might have mentioned Hollywood or Broadway, two wellsprings of U.S. cultural soft power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

With my soft power, I was finding I could be strong.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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