soft-spoken

American  

[sawft-spoh-kuhn, soft-] / ˈsɔftˈspoʊ kən, ˈsɒft- /

adjective

1. (of persons) speaking with a soft or gentle voice; mild.

2. (of words) softly or mildly spoken; persuasive.

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soft-spoken British  

adjective

1. speaking or said with a soft gentle voice

2. able to persuade or impress by glibness of tongue

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Etymology

Origin of soft-spoken

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Zielinski knew people who had purchased firearms in the years that followed, including a soft-spoken neighbor she never imagined buying one.

From The Wall Street Journal

He rarely gives interviews, avoids publicity stunts and appears in public dressed like someone you might miss entirely: soft-spoken, his face concealed in a hoodie.

From BBC

"I was very nervous," the soft-spoken 27-year-old told AFP on Tuesday just hours after his elaborate hand-made dresses were finally released, meaning he could begin fitting the models.

From Barron's

The boring and soft-spoken, but effective, tenets of earning money, stacking it and growing it fall to the wayside.

From MarketWatch

The boring and soft-spoken, but effective, tenets of earning money, stacking it and growing it fall to the wayside.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• gentle
• reserved