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
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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 describe Machchhar, who is in his 30s and holds more than a decade of flying experience, as a soft-spoken, helpful and "always smiling" man who has remained calm under pressure since childhood.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
But the young men prove the soft-spoken themes about the pressure to act tough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
A soft-spoken young man, Jesse Owens was the son of black Alabama sharecroppers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Her own life with her soft-spoken widowed mother had been different.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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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.