softly

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsɔftli/ UK /ˈsɒftli/ See IPA manual

Freq #3615

Meanings

1

adv
In a quiet way; not loudly.

She whispered softly in his ear.
2

adv
In a gentle way; without force.

He stroked the cat softly until it fell asleep.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a quiet way; not loudly. quietly

2 adv · in a gentle way; without... lightly

Word family

Derived forms tread-softly

Appears in

Phrases (1)

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laugh softly
to laugh quietly without making a strong sound

Verb + adverb

Proverbs (2)

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Etymology

From Middle English softely, softeliche, equivalent to soft + -ly.

softely Middle English

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Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

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