softly en · ADV
Pronunciation
- /ˈsɑftli/ (cot-caught-merger)
- (US) audio
- /ˈsɒftli/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈsɔftli/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English softely, softeliche, equivalent to soft + -ly.
Meanings
-
In a soft manner; gently.
He had married a lady well educated and softly nurtured, but not dowered with worldly wealth. […] They would give up ideas of gentle living, of soft raiment, and delicate feeding.
1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage:The masseuse was rubbing my back too softly for my liking, so I asked her to go harder.
-
Not loudly; nearly inaudibly.
whisper softly in someone's ear
play music softly
-
With subdued color; faded or misty with distance.
And they sat very still, the two of them, and looked out over that great, beautiful desert—away to the home mesa that they could see, softly blue, in the distance.
1928, Grace Moon, “VII. The Tale of the Sacred Eagle”, in The Runaway Papoose:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most softly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more softly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| softliest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| softlier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
speak softly and carry a big stick · softly softly · walk softly and carry a big stick · talk softly and carry a big stick · tread-softly · tread softly
Translations (42)
de leise (not loudly, inaudible) · te మెత్తగా (softly, gently) · es silenciosamente (not loudly, inaudible) · la leniter (softly, gently) · ko 부드럽게 (softly, gently) · nl zachtaardig (softly, gently) · la molliter (softly, gently) · fi pehmeästi (not loudly, inaudible) · pt suavemente (softly, gently) · nl zachtzinnig (softly, gently) · nl zacht (not loudly, inaudible) · fi vaimeasti (not loudly, inaudible) · es suavemente (softly, gently) · hu halkan (not loudly, inaudible) · fi hellästi (softly, gently) · es inaudiblemente (not loudly, inaudible) · nl zachtjes (softly, gently) · ru ти́хо (not loudly, inaudible) · my တိုးတိုး (softly, gently) · uk ти́хо (not loudly, inaudible) · ca suaument (softly, gently) · bg тихо (not loudly, inaudible) · pt suavemente (not loudly, inaudible) · it sottovoce (not loudly, inaudible) · be мя́кка (softly, gently) · pl delikatnie (softly, gently) · eo milde (softly, gently) · it delicatamente (softly, gently) · nrf mollement (softly, gently) · fr doucement (softly, gently) · de sachte (softly, gently) · be ці́ха (not loudly, inaudible) · bg меко (softly, gently) · ru мя́гко (softly, gently) · uk м'я́ко (softly, gently) · pl cicho (not loudly, inaudible) · hu lágyan (softly, gently) · da blidt (not loudly, inaudible) · fi pehmeästi (softly, gently) · gl suavemente (softly, gently) · eo mallaŭte (not loudly, inaudible) · fy súntsjes (softly, gently)