soft-spoken
Americanadjective
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(of persons) speaking with a soft or gentle voice; mild.
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(of words) softly or mildly spoken; persuasive.
adjective
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speaking or said with a soft gentle voice
-
able to persuade or impress by glibness of tongue
Etymology
Origin of soft-spoken
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
They’re basically soft-spoken toxic boys who have convinced themselves that being gentle in delivery automatically makes them healthy communicators.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
In 2018, Inc. magazine wrote that at age 80, he “possesses, beneath the kindly exterior of a soft-spoken Florida retiree, a spine of steel.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
De la Fuente, soft-spoken and professorial, is also scrupulously polite, an example many of his players follow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
During our conversation, he came across as measured and soft-spoken.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Looking at the small, soft-spoken boy lying on the bench, he reminds himself that a live migrant is better than a dead one.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
