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soft-core

American  
[sawft-kawr, -kohr, soft-] / ˈsɔftˈkɔr, -ˈkoʊr, ˈsɒft- /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or containing sexually arousing depictions that are not fully explicit.

    soft-core pornography.
soft-core British  

adjective

  1. (of pornography) suggestive and titillating through not being totally explicit or detailed

"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

Etymology

Origin of soft-core

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

With its soft-core, island-funk guitar and three-part vocal harmony, the song’s chorus is an early example of a Steely Dan quintessence: shrugging sarcasm, rendered resplendent.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2017

Not soft-core porn, but real love stories with happy endings — like a Sandra Bullock film, only with gay characters.

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2010

By now millions of people have inadvertently watched the video, which came out in 1987, a more innocent time when people actually listened to generic soft-core pop on purpose--the song went to No. 1.

From Time Magazine Archive

The movement has also produced a variant sect of soft-core survivalists.

From Time Magazine Archive

He has a nostalgically appealing, soft-core cynicism about politicians and foreign policy reminiscent of those 1930s' middleweight movie heroes.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.