soft soap

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See synonyms for: soft soap / soft-soaped / soft-soaping / soft-soaps on Thesaurus.com

noun

Informal. persuasive talk; flattery: to use soft soap to get one's way.

the semifluid soap produced when potassium hydroxide is used in the saponification of a fat or an oil.

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Origin of soft soap

First recorded in 1625–35

Words nearby soft soap

soft-shoe, soft shoulder, soft sign, soft skill, soft skills, soft soap, soft-soaper, soft solder, soft-spoken, soft spot, soft steel

Other definitions for soft soap (2 of 2)

soft-soap

[ sawft-sohp, soft- ]

/ ˈsɔftˈsoʊp, ˈsɒft- /

verb (used with object)

Informal. to cajole; flatter.

to apply soft soap to.

verb (used without object)

to use soft soap in washing.

Origin of soft-soap

First recorded in 1820–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use soft soap in a sentence

There were stomachs, taut and flat, but also undulating bellies, soft and bloated from the breakfast buffet.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a Senate floor soap opera over none other than a soap-opera producer.
U.S. Embassies Have Always Been for Sale|William O’Connor|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Francis is well into his seventies, looks it, has a mild demeanor and soft speaking style; but his rhetoric is electrifying.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My surgeon told me my bones were so soft he could barely install the screws.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Of course, with such a soft-handed approach comes criticism from the Danish right.
What the U.S. Can Learn from Europe About Dealing with Terrorists|Scott Beauchamp|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And once more, she found herself desiring to be like Janet--not only in appearance, but in soft manner and tone.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
A few small rocks of some soft stone may be added, and in between these the Ferns are planted.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
His face flushed with annoyance, and taking off his soft hat he began to beat it impatiently against his leg as he walked.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The delicious soft rains set in early, promising a good grain year.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Not a zephyr ruffled the leaf of a rose, and a soft breathing fragrance bathed his reposing senses.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

British Dictionary definitions for soft soap

soft soap

noun

med another name for green soap

informal flattering, persuasive, or cajoling talk

verb soft-soap

informal to use such talk on (a person)

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

Cultural definitions for soft soap

soft soap

Flattery: “Mary asked the boss to stop giving her a lot of soft soap about her performance and to start leveling with her like any other employee.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with soft soap

soft soap

Flattery, cajolery, as in She's only six but she's learned how to get her way with soft soap. This colloquial expression alludes to liquid soap, likening its slippery quality to insincere flattery. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1830.

soft soap

Origin of soft soap

Words nearby soft soap

Other definitions for soft soap (2 of 2)

Origin of soft-soap

Words related to soft soap

How to use soft soap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for soft soap

Cultural definitions for soft soap

Other Idioms and Phrases with soft soap