soft science

American  

noun

1. any of the specialized fields or disciplines, as psychology, sociology, anthropology, or political science, that interpret human behavior, institutions, society, etc., on the basis of scientific investigations for which it may be difficult to establish strictly measurable criteria.

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soft science British  

noun

1. a science, such as sociology or anthropology, that deals with humans as its principle subject matter, and is therefore not generally considered to be based on rigorous experimentation

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Etymology

Origin of soft science

First recorded in 1965–70

Compare meaning

How does soft-science compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hard science vs. soft science

Example Sentences

“There’s a lot of soft science of what makes a consumer feel like something is durable,” she told Grist.

From Salon • May 2, 2024

I really tried to keep it soft science, but I’ve got a feeling it’s probably somewhere in the middle.

From The Verge • Jul. 15, 2019

But the indisputable star of this exercise in soft science from the inventive British troupe Improbable, at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater of John Jay College through Wednesday, is its charismatic title character.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2017

It wanted to move from being a soft science to a hard science.

From Forbes • Sep. 2, 2014

Americans may have invented the soft science of public relations, but in Reykjavík it was the Russians who provided a textbook example of how to win friends and influence people.

From Time Magazine Archive