Gently vs. Softly — What's the Difference?

Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.

Yielding readily to pressure or weight

Not harsh or severe; mild and soft

Easily molded, cut, or worked

Easily managed or handled; docile

(Sports) Not tense and therefore capable of absorbing the impact of a ball or puck and of catching, receiving, or controlling it

Not steep or sudden; gradual

Out of condition; flabby

Of good family; wellborn

Smooth or fine to the touch

Suited to one of good breeding; refined and polite

Not loud, harsh, or irritating

(Archaic) Noble; chivalrous

Not brilliant or glaring; subdued

One of good birth or relatively high station.

Not sharply drawn or delineated

To make less severe or intense

Mild; balmy

To soothe, as by stroking; pacify.

Tender or affectionate

To tame or break (a horse).

Attracted or emotionally involved

(Obsolete) To raise to the status of a noble.

Not stern; lenient

Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly.

Lacking strength of character; weak

In a gentle manner; to a gentle degree.

(Informal) Simple-minded or foolish

Quietly: without much noise or motion.

Not demanding or difficult; easy

(historical) From a gentle or high-class family.

Based on conciliation or compromise

(obsolete) In the manner of one of gentle birth; in a manner that reflects the traditional virtues of the gentry: courteously, nobly.

Gradually declining in trend; not firm

In a gentle manner.

(Sports) Scored on a shot that the goalie should have blocked

In a gradual manner;

Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts

In a gentle manner;

Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation

With little weight or force;

Softcore.

Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes

Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.

Having low dissolved mineral content

Nonalcoholic.

Nonaddictive or mildly addictive. Used of certain drugs.

Having a low or lower power of penetration

Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.

Voiced and weakly articulated

Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.

Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack

In a soft manner; gently.

In a soft manner; gently.

Not loudly; nearly inaudibly.

In a soft manner.

With low volume;

In a manner that is pleasing to the senses;

With little weight or force;

Used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly