Meanings
plural softnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe quality of being soft.
[…] the informal dressers, with their "divided skirts" and stealthy advances towards confessed trouserdom, are the strong-minded sisterhood, to whom the softnesses of sex are abominations […]
1882, The Pall Mall Budget, page 9Synonyms: flaccidity, mollitude
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe quality of being soft.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded
nounpoor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury)
nounthe quality of weather that is deliciously mild and soothing
nounthe quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines
nounthe trait of being effeminate (derogatory of a man)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishsōftnes
- Middle Englishsoftnesse
- Englishsoftness
From Middle English softnesse, from Old English sōftnes, alteration of earlier sēftnes. Equivalent to soft + -ness.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἁπαλότης, μαλακία
- ἁπαλότης (hapalótēs)the quality of being soft
- μαλακία (malakía)the quality of being soft
Arabic نُعُومَة
- نُعُومَة (nuʕūma)the quality of being soft
Catalan suavitat
- suavitatthe quality of being soft
Czech měkkost
- měkkostthe quality of being soft
Finnish pehmeys
- pehmeysthe quality of being soft
French douceur
- douceurthe quality of being soft
German Weichheit
- Weichheitthe quality of being soft
Greek απαλότητα
- απαλότητα (apalótita)the quality of being soft
Hindi कोमलता, मृदुलता
- कोमलता (komaltā)the quality of being soft
- मृदुलता (mŕdultā)the quality of being soft
- मृदुता (mŕdutā)the quality of being soft
- मार्दव (mārdav)the quality of being soft
Irish leibideacht
- leibideachtthe quality of being soft
Italian morbidezza
- morbidezzathe quality of being soft
Latin mollitūdō, lenitas
- mollitūdōthe quality of being soft
- lenitasthe quality of being soft
Latvian mīkstums
- mīkstumsthe quality of being soft
Portuguese suavidade
- suavidadethe quality of being soft
Romanian moliciune
- moliciunethe quality of being soft
Russian мя́гкость
- мя́гкость (mjáxkostʹ)the quality of being soft
Spanish suavidad, molicie
- suavidadthe quality of being soft
- moliciethe quality of being soft
Swahili wororo, ulaini
- wororothe quality of being soft
- ulainithe quality of being soft
Swedish mjukhet
- mjukhetthe quality of being soft
Urdu نَرْمی
- نَرْمی (narmī)the quality of being soft
Cite this entry
softness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/softness
“softness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/softness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “softness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/softness.
Source: softness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.