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.
As Sir David Attenborough marks his centenary, one achievement is often overlooked: how the world's famously soft-spoken naturalist helped create an industry employing thousands and earning millions, centred on Bristol.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
If anything, I considered myself to be a soft-spoken person.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026
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
Having studied philosophy at Sogang University in Seoul, the soft-spoken filmmaker is also known as a great lover of literature, especially Emile Zola and Philip Roth.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
Charles Greiner, who was fit, white-haired, and soft-spoken, stood before the lectern and told us he had come up through the system, starting upstate as a CO.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
