soft-spoken
[sawft-spoh-kuh n, soft-]
- (of persons) speaking with a soft or gentle voice; mild.
- (of words) softly or mildly spoken; persuasive.
Show More
Origin of soft-spoken
First recorded in 1600–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for soft-spoken
Contemporary Examples
I thought he was very intelligent, very gentle, soft-spoken, precise.
All Eyes on Anjelica Huston: The Legendary Actress on Love, Abuse, and Jack NicholsonAlex Suskind
November 10, 2014
Mapei is soft-spoken, but that should not be mistaken for modesty.
In person, Gondry is more Joel than Doc Brown—a fragile, soft-spoken man with a mop of curly brown hair.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’Marlow Stern
July 20, 2014
As she sips tea in a lounge at the Greenwich Hotel, her soft-spoken, modest style includes a casual acceptance of her advantages.
Under its soft-spoken CEO and Chairman Gary Barber, the studio has emerged from bankruptcy, stronger and nimbler than before.
Historical Examples
I don't wonder that girl is such a meek, soft-spoken kind of thing.
The Rise of Roscoe PaineJoseph C. Lincoln
I leave the sneaking off to them soft-spoken chaps you're thinking of.
One Day MoreJoseph Conrad
She acknowledged too some fear of this quiet, soft-spoken frontiersman.
Brand BlottersWilliam MacLeod Raine
These soft-spoken guys are the kind I lay off, believe you me!
The Pagan MadonnaHarold MacGrath
She is as soft-spoken as a wind-harp swinging in an abbey door.
The Prairie ChildArthur Stringer
soft-spoken
- speaking or said with a soft gentle voice
- able to persuade or impress by glibness of tongue
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for soft-spoken
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper