softly

American  

[sawft-lee, soft‐] / sɔft li, sɒft‐ /

adverb

1. in a low pitch or volume; quietly.

   We spoke softly so as not to wake the baby.

   Jazz was playing softly in the background.

2. Music. with a smoothly subdued and gentle sound.

   In this passage, the horns exit softly as the violins become more vibrant.

3. in a way that is neither harsh nor glaring to the eye.

   The room was softly lit with a dimmed chandelier and six flickering candles.

4. in a gentle, warm-hearted, or compassionate manner; tenderly; sympathetically.

   She softly embraced her son and reassured him of her love.

---

Etymology

Origin of softly

First recorded in 1200–50; soft ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

She spoke softly with her blonde hair tied back in a bun while her lawyers asked that she be given proper medical treatment, including an xray of potentially bruised ribs and a fracture.

From BBC

“Whoever is going through the same that I did, keep fighting,” Ramos-Brito said softly.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think they're lovely things," he says softly, with a chuckle.

From BBC

But during a particularly chaotic little stretch this winter — flight delays, a bumpy descent, the kind of head-cold that makes the world feel softly underwater — I found myself craving the bakery comfort of one anyway.

From Salon

Yet from that painful personal source emerges something unfortunately indistinct, as though softly blanketed by the snow that sifts slowly down during this holiday drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• delicately
• faintly
• gently
• gingerly
• quietly
• smoothly
• tenderly