Soft vs. Delicate — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 1, 2023
Soft refers to a texture or sound that is gentle to the touch or hearing. Delicate indicates something fragile, sensitive, or fine in quality.
Difference Between Soft and Delicate
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Soft generally pertains to something that yields easily to touch or pressure, like a soft pillow or a soft voice. It can describe the physical sensation of touch, the level of sound, or even a person's demeanor. Delicate, while it can share some similarities with soft, especially in the context of touch, more often denotes fragility or something that can be easily damaged. A delicate glass figurine or a delicate piece of lace are examples of this.
There are contexts where soft and delicate might seem interchangeable, but they convey distinct nuances. For instance, a fabric might be soft to the touch, implying it's comfortable against the skin. The same fabric could also be described as delicate if it's easily torn or damaged. However, not all soft things are delicate, and not all delicate things are soft.
Soft can also describe intangible qualities. A soft-spoken person doesn't necessarily have a delicate voice but speaks in gentle, low tones. Delicate, on the other hand, often leans towards describing something that requires careful handling, be it an object, situation, or even a topic of conversation.
In some contexts, delicate implies a sense of refinement or subtlety. For example, a delicate flavor isn't necessarily a soft flavor but is nuanced and finely balanced. Similarly, a soft light isn't automatically a delicate light; the former refers to its gentle illumination, while the latter might refer to the fragile nature of its source.
Comparison Chart
Primary Definition
Gentle to the touch or hearing
Fragile, sensitive, or fine in quality
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Usage in Texture
Yielding easily to touch or pressure
Easily damaged or torn
Usage in Quality
Gentle or mild
Refined, subtle
Intangible Descriptions
Pertaining to demeanor or sound
Pertaining to situations or refined qualities
Potential Overlaps
Can describe comfort (soft blanket)
Can describe fragility (delicate fabric)
Compare with Definitions
Soft
Mild or gentle in sound.
She spoke in a soft whisper.
Delicate
Fine in quality or subtle in flavor.
The tea had a delicate aroma.
Soft
Not harsh or severe.
The room was illuminated by soft light.
Delicate
Very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality
A delicate lace shawl
Soft
Easy to mould, cut, compress, or fold; not hard or firm to the touch
The ground was soft beneath their feet
Soft margarine
Delicate
Easily broken or damaged; fragile
Delicate china
Soft
Having a pleasing quality involving a subtle effect or contrast rather than sharp definition
The moon's pale light cast soft shadows
The soft glow of the lamps
Delicate
Requiring sensitive or careful handling
Delicate negotiations
Soft
Sympathetic, lenient, or compassionate, especially to a degree perceived as excessive; not strict or sufficiently strict
Julia's soft heart was touched by his grief
The government is not becoming soft on crime
Delicate
A delicate fabric or garment
The delicates cycle of a washing machine
Soft
(of a drink) not alcoholic.
Delicate
Pleasing to the senses, especially in a subtle way
A delicate flavor.
A delicate violin passage.
Soft
(of a market, currency, or commodity) falling or likely to fall in value
Now a new factor looms: soft oil prices
The rouble, so soft that it buys nothing worth having
Delicate
Easily broken or damaged
A kite too delicate to fly.
Soft
(of water) containing relatively low concentrations of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts and therefore lathering easily with soap
You use only half as much soap when you clean with soft water
Delicate
Exquisitely fine or dainty
Delicate china.
Soft
Foolish; silly
He must be going soft in the head
Delicate
Frail in constitution or health.
Soft
(of a consonant) pronounced as a fricative (as c in ice).
Delicate
Marked by sensitivity of discrimination
A critic's delicate perception.
Soft
In a quiet or gentle way
I can just speak soft and she'll hear me
Delicate
Very subtle in difference or distinction.
Soft
In a weak or foolish way
Don't talk soft
Delicate
Having or showing great consideration or care
Delicate remarks concerning the scandal.
Soft
Yielding readily to pressure or weight
A soft melon.
A soft pillow.
Delicate
Requiring careful or tactful treatment
A delicate situation.
Soft
Easily molded, cut, or worked
Soft wood.
Delicate
Fine or soft in touch or skill
A surgeon's delicate touch.
Soft
(Sports) Not tense and therefore capable of absorbing the impact of a ball or puck and of catching, receiving, or controlling it
A receiver with soft hands.
Delicate
Measuring, indicating, or responding to very small changes; precise
A delicate set of scales.
Soft
Out of condition; flabby
Got soft sitting at a desk all day.
Delicate
Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
Those clothes are made from delicate lace.
The negotiations were very delicate.
Soft
Smooth or fine to the touch
A soft fabric.
Soft fur.
Delicate
Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.
Her face was delicate.
The spider wove a delicate web.
There was a delicate pattern of frost on the window.
Soft
Not loud, harsh, or irritating
A soft voice.
Delicate
Intended for use with fragile items.
Set the washing machine to the delicate cycle.
Soft
Not brilliant or glaring; subdued
Soft colors.
Delicate
Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings.
Delicate behaviour
Delicate attentions
Delicate thoughtfulness
Soft
Not sharply drawn or delineated
Soft charcoal shading.
A scene filmed in soft focus.
Delicate
Of weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship.
A delicate child
Delicate health
Soft
Mild; balmy
A soft breeze.
Delicate
(informal) Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.
Please don't speak so loudly: I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning.
Soft
Tender or affectionate
A soft glance.
Delicate
(obsolete) Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
Soft
Attracted or emotionally involved
He has been soft on her for years.
Delicate
Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.
A delicate dish
Delicate flavour
Soft
Not stern; lenient
A coach who was soft on his players.
Delicate
Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful.
Soft
Lacking strength of character; weak
Too soft for the pressure of being a spy.
Delicate
Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour.
A delicate shade of blue
Soft
(Informal) Simple-minded or foolish
He's soft in the head.
Delicate
Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
Soft
Not demanding or difficult; easy
A soft job.
Delicate
Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.
A delicate taste
A delicate ear for music
Soft
Based on conciliation or compromise
Took a soft line toward their opponents.
Delicate
Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes.
A delicate thermometer
Soft
Gradually declining in trend; not firm
A soft economy.
A soft computer market.
Delicate
A delicate item of clothing, especially underwear or lingerie.
Don't put that in with your jeans: it's a delicate!
Soft
(Sports) Scored on a shot that the goalie should have blocked
A soft goal.
Delicate
(obsolete) A choice dainty; a delicacy.
Soft
Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts
Limited the discussion to soft topics.
Delicate
(obsolete) A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
Soft
Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation
The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.
Delicate
Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went.
Haarlem is a very delicate town.
Soft
Softcore.
Delicate
Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor.
Soft
Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes
A soft right.
Delicate
Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, "a delicate creature."
Soft
Of or relating to a paper currency as distinct from a hard currency backed by gold.
Delicate
Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; - said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.
Soft
Having low dissolved mineral content
Soft water.
Delicate
Slight or smooth; light and yielding; - said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.
Soft
Nonalcoholic.
Delicate
Soft and fair; - said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.
Soft
Nonaddictive or mildly addictive. Used of certain drugs.
Delicate
Light, or softly tinted; - said of a color; as, a delicate blue.
Soft
Having a low or lower power of penetration
Soft x-rays.
Delicate
Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; - said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness.
Soft
Sibilant rather than guttural, as c in certain and g in gem.
Delicate
Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; - said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health.
A delicate and tender prince.
Soft
Voiced and weakly articulated
A soft consonant.
Delicate
Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question.
There are some things too delicate and too sacred to be handled rudely without injury to truth.
Soft
Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.
Delicate
Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
Soft
Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack
A soft target.
Delicate
Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music.
Soft
In a soft manner; gently.
Delicate
Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.
Soft
Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also, malleable; - opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
Delicate
A choice dainty; a delicacy.
With abstinence all delicates he sees.
Soft
Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth; delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
Delicate
A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, - those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, - are only of the Corinth metal.
Soft
Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines.
Delicate
Exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury;
A delicate violin passage
Delicate china
A delicate flavor
The delicate wing of a butterfly
Soft
Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . . . made the softest lights imaginable.
Delicate
Marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique;
A surgeon's delicate touch
Soft
Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
Her voice was ever soft,Gentle, and low, - an excellent thing in woman.
Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
Delicate
Easily broken or damaged or destroyed;
A kite too delicate to fly safely
Fragile porcelain plates
Fragile old bones
A frail craft
Soft
Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible; gentle; kind.
I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine.
The meek or soft shall inherit the earth.
Delicate
Easily hurt;
Soft hands
A baby's delicate skin
Soft
Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
A face with gladness overspread,Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.
Delicate
Developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety;
The satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense
Soft
Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering.
Delicate
Difficult to handle; requiring great tact;
Delicate negotiations with the big powers
Hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter
Soft
Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even,And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
Delicate
Of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely;
Almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments
Soft
Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
Delicate
Easily broken or damaged.
The delicate vase shattered when dropped.
Soft
Somewhat weak in intellect.
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.
Delicate
Requiring careful handling.
The situation was delicate and needed tact.
Soft
Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
Delicate
Refined or dainty.
She wore a delicate necklace to the event.
Soft
Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
Delicate
Sensitive in nature.
It's a delicate topic that we should approach cautiously.
Soft
Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing.
Soft
Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in cone, etc.); - opposed to hard.
Soft
A soft or foolish person; an idiot.
Soft
Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
A knight soft riding toward them.
Soft
Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go.
Soft
Lacking in hardness relatively or comparatively
Soft
Metaphorically soft;
My father is a soft touch
Soft light
A soft rain
A soft Southern drawl
Soft brown eyes
A soft glance
Soft
Of sound; relatively low in volume;
Soft voices
Soft music
Soft
Easily hurt;
Soft hands
A baby's delicate skin
Soft
Used chiefly as a direction or description in music;
The piano passages in the composition
Soft
Used of beverages; not containing alcohol;
Nonalcoholic beverages
Soft drinks
Soft
Of speech sounds; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh')
Soft
Tolerant or lenient;
Indulgent parents risk spoiling their children
Procedures are lax and discipline is weak
Too soft on the children
Soft
Having little impact;
An easy pat on the shoulder
Gentle rain
A gentle breeze
A soft (or light) tapping at the window
Soft
Not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship;
What a cushy job!
A soft job
Soft
In a relaxed manner; or without hardship;
Just wanted to take it easy
Soft
Yielding easily to touch or pressure.
The mattress was soft and comfortable.
Soft
Compassionate or tender-hearted.
He had a soft spot for animals.
Soft
Lacking strength or force.
The team played with a soft defense.
Common Curiosities
Can food be described as Soft?
Yes, like a soft cheese or soft pudding.
Can music be Delicate?
Yes, a piece can have delicate notes or a delicate melody.
Is Delicate synonymous with fragile?
Yes, delicate often indicates something easily damaged or broken.
Can a color be Soft?
Yes, soft colors are typically muted or pastel.
Is a Soft personality the same as a Delicate one?
Not necessarily. Soft might mean gentle or kind, while delicate could mean sensitive.
Does Soft always refer to touch?
No, soft can also describe sounds, light, or a person's demeanor.
Can a topic be Delicate?
Yes, indicating it's sensitive or needs careful handling.
Can Soft be used in a technological context?
Yes, like "soft skills" or "software."
Can Delicate describe health?
Yes, someone can be in a "delicate state of health."
Is Soft always a positive descriptor?
Not always. It can be neutral, as in "soft light," or negative, as in "soft on crime."
Can Delicate imply a sense of beauty?
Yes, something delicate can often be seen as beautiful or refined.
Are all Delicate fabrics Soft?
No, some delicate fabrics might be coarse but are easily damaged.
Is Delicate only about physical attributes?
No, it can describe emotional, situational, or qualitative aspects.
Is "soft drink" about the texture?
No, it refers to non-alcoholic beverages.
How do Soft and Delicate compare in strength?
Soft often indicates lack of force or mildness, while delicate suggests fragility or vulnerability.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
