soft on
Idioms-
Attracted to or emotionally involved with, as in He's been soft on Margaret for years . This usage was first recorded in 1840.
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Not stern, lenient, especially too much so. For example, Some think the court has been soft on violent protesters . This usage was first recorded in 1883.
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.
More offenders could be tagged, as minister insists he's 'not soft on crime'
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Criticism, she said plainly, comes from all sides: that she is too soft on the Cuban government, or too critical of it; that she says too little about the U.S. embargo, or too much.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Orban’s government may also have been soft on environmental and labor questions.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
Toward the end of Elizabeth II’s reign, critics argued that the queen had been too soft on her son Andrew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Ogion's windows were shuttered fast, but they could hear the wet snow as it fell soft on the roof, and the deep stillness of snow all about the house.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
