soft-spoken
Americanadjective
-
(of persons) speaking with a soft or gentle voice; mild.
-
(of words) softly or mildly spoken; persuasive.
adjective
-
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.
Nesbitt was a soft-spoken presence in a business of outsize egos, says Greg Williamson, a longtime pension-fund executive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The Rev. Israel Vázquez, 58, soft-spoken with close-cropped hair, had held Briany before, when he formally presented the baby to God in a ceremony at his Pentecostal church in Lakeland.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
"Three to five years at most, and our entire medical model will be radically transformed," the soft-spoken Duan told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
“Kayce found his little peace of heaven, getting everything he ever wanted and fought for,” said Luke Grimes, who plays the soft-spoken Dutton in “Yellowstone.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
She was gentle, soft-spoken, and always comforted you when you needed it, even when you’d done something bad, or been told off by another guardian.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
