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.

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Etymology

Origin of softly

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

Example Sentences

“All the sweets and all the terrors of human lot lay in his mind,” Emerson writes, “as truly but as softly as the landscape lies on the eye.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He stared at me a little longer and then added softly, “And now the little girl is a lady, and a lovely one.”

From Literature

The airman replied softly, not responding at all to Mutti’s fury.

From Literature

It was thin and wet, and was complaining softly to itself in a low, continuous whimper.

From Literature

I say the word so softly I’m almost mouthing it.

From Literature

Related Words

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