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.
During our conversation, he came across as measured and soft-spoken.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
As Othello, Mr. Quinn is at first surprisingly soft-spoken, not putting too much polish on the character’s transfixing eloquence—“the Othello music,” as critics have called it—in his recitation of how he won Desdemona’s love.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
If anything, I considered myself to be a soft-spoken person.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 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
Rodriguez is a soft-spoken woman with silver-rimmed spectacles and a gold cross on a chain around her neck.
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.
