softness B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈsɔftnəs/ UK /ˈsɒftnəs/ See IPA manual Freq #29254 Meanings 1 noun The quality of being easy to press or pleasant to touch. I love the softness of this new blanket. 2 noun A gentle, mild quality in someone's manner. There was a surprising softness in his usually stern voice. 3 noun A quiet, subdued quality of light, color, or sound. She admired the softness of the morning sky. Thesaurus Synonyms 2 noun · a gentle, mild quality in... gentlenessmildness ↔ Opposites hardness Word family Forms softnesses Etymology AI details From Middle English softnesse, from Old English sōftnes, alteration of earlier sēftnes. Equivalent to soft + -ness. softnesse Middle English sōftnes Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Senses & Perception External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # softness **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɔftnəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɒftnəs/ **Frequency rank:** 29254 ## Meanings 1. The quality of being easy to press or pleasant to touch. 2. A gentle, mild quality in someone's manner. 3. A quiet, subdued quality of light, color, or sound. ## Examples - I love the softness of this new blanket. - There was a surprising softness in his usually stern voice. - She admired the softness of the morning sky. ## Antonyms - hardness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: softnesse - Root: sōftnes ## Etymology From Middle English softnesse, from Old English sōftnes, alteration of earlier sēftnes. Equivalent to soft + -ness. ## AI Etymology Softness is from Middle English softnesse, from Old English sōftnes, alteration of earlier sēftnes. Equivalent to soft + -ness. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English softnesse, Old English sōftnes. In current use it includes senses such as The quality of being easy to press or pleasant to touch and A gentle, mild quality in someone's manner. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Senses & Perception markdown