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soft line

American  

noun

  1. a position or policy, as in politics, that is moderate and flexible.


soft line British  

noun

  1. a moderate flexible attitude or policy

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of soft line

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.

See Examples For:

The revolutionary regime, desperate to survive, is taking a surprisingly soft line with today’s rebels.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 8, 2026

That helps to explain why the regime is so loath to take a soft line on the issue of dress codes.

From Washington Post Sep. 24, 2022

One of the hits was a bloop double off the bat of Mitch Haniger in the first inning and the other was a soft line drive to left from J.P.

From Seattle Times Apr. 5, 2021

Early in the game, Fernando came to bat and hit a soft line drive foul towards our seat on the loge level.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 14, 2019

From his long steel spurs to his hard coned hat not a soft line was there, nor a feeble curve.

From Mary Anerley : a Yorkshire Tale by Blackmore, R. D. (Richard Doddridge)

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