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Soft vs. Solid — What's the Difference?

Soft vs. Solid — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Soft and Solid

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Soft

Easy to mould, cut, compress, or fold; not hard or firm to the touch
The ground was soft beneath their feet
Soft margarine

Solid

Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy.

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

Solid

Of definite shape and volume; not liquid or gaseous
It was so cold the water in the bucket became solid.

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
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Solid

(Mathematics) Of or relating to three-dimensional geometric figures or bodies.

Soft

(of a drink) not alcoholic.

Solid

Firm or compact in substance
The floor was solid and would not give way.

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

Solid

Not hollowed out
A solid block of wood.

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

Solid

Being the same substance or color throughout
Solid gold.

Soft

Foolish; silly
He must be going soft in the head

Solid

Having no gaps or breaks; continuous
A solid line of people.
Worked for a solid week.

Soft

(of a consonant) pronounced as a fricative (as c in ice).

Solid

Acting together; unanimous
A solid voting bloc.

Soft

In a quiet or gentle way
I can just speak soft and she'll hear me

Solid

Written without a hyphen or space. For example, the word software is a solid compound.

Soft

In a weak or foolish way
Don't talk soft

Solid

(Printing) Having no leads between the lines.

Soft

Yielding readily to pressure or weight
A soft melon.
A soft pillow.

Solid

Of good quality
Off to a solid start.

Soft

Easily molded, cut, or worked
Soft wood.

Solid

Substantial; hearty
A solid meal.

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.

Solid

Sound; reliable
Solid facts.

Soft

Out of condition; flabby
Got soft sitting at a desk all day.

Solid

Financially sound
A solid business.

Soft

Smooth or fine to the touch
A soft fabric.
Soft fur.

Solid

Upstanding or dependable
A solid citizen.

Soft

Not loud, harsh, or irritating
A soft voice.

Solid

(Slang) Excellent; first-rate.

Soft

Not brilliant or glaring; subdued
Soft colors.

Solid

A substance having a definite shape and volume; one that is neither liquid nor gaseous.

Soft

Not sharply drawn or delineated
Soft charcoal shading.
A scene filmed in soft focus.

Solid

(Mathematics) A geometric figure having three dimensions.

Soft

Mild; balmy
A soft breeze.

Solid

Without a break or opening; completely or continuously
The theater was booked solid for a month.

Soft

Tender or affectionate
A soft glance.

Solid

As a whole; unanimously
The committee voted solid for the challenger.

Soft

Attracted or emotionally involved
He has been soft on her for years.

Solid

(of an object or substance) That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid, gas or plasma.
Almost all metals are solid at room temperature.

Soft

Not stern; lenient
A coach who was soft on his players.

Solid

Large in size, quantity, or value.

Soft

Lacking strength of character; weak
Too soft for the pressure of being a spy.

Solid

Lacking holes, hollows or admixtures of other materials.
Solid gold
Solid chocolate

Soft

(Informal) Simple-minded or foolish
He's soft in the head.

Solid

Strong or unyielding.
A solid foundation

Soft

Not demanding or difficult; easy
A soft job.

Solid

(slang) Excellent, of high quality, or reliable.
That's a solid plan.
Radiohead's on tour! Have you heard their latest album yet? It's quite solid.
I don't think Dave would have done that. He's a solid dude.

Soft

Based on conciliation or compromise
Took a soft line toward their opponents.

Solid

Hearty; filling.
A solid meal

Soft

Gradually declining in trend; not firm
A soft economy.
A soft computer market.

Solid

Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial; not frivolous or fallacious.

Soft

(Sports) Scored on a shot that the goalie should have blocked
A soft goal.

Solid

Financially well off; wealthy.

Soft

Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts
Limited the discussion to soft topics.

Solid

Sound; not weak.
A solid constitution of body

Soft

Using or based on data that is not readily quantifiable or amenable to experimental verification or refutation
The lawyer downplayed the soft evidence.

Solid

(typography) Written as one word, without spaces or hyphens.
American English writes many words as solid that British English hyphenates.

Soft

Softcore.

Solid

Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.

Soft

Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle less acute than other possible routes
A soft right.

Solid

United; without division; unanimous.
The delegation is solid for a candidate.

Soft

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

Solid

Of a single color throughout.
John painted the walls solid white.
He wore a solid shirt with floral pants.

Soft

Having low dissolved mineral content
Soft water.

Solid

(of drawn lines) Continuous; unbroken; not dotted or dashed.
The solid lines show roads, and the dotted lines footpaths.

Soft

Nonalcoholic.

Solid

(dated) Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic.
A solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.

Soft

Nonaddictive or mildly addictive. Used of certain drugs.

Solid

(of volumes of materials) Measured as a single solid, as the volumes of individual pieces added together without any gaps.

Soft

Having a low or lower power of penetration
Soft x-rays.

Solid

(chemistry) A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).

Soft

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

Solid

(geometry) A three-dimensional figure (as opposed to a surface, an area, or a curve).

Soft

Voiced and weakly articulated
A soft consonant.

Solid

(informal) A favor.
Please do me a solid: lend me your car for one week.
I owe him; he did me a solid last year.

Soft

Palatalized, as certain consonants in Slavic languages.

Solid

An article of clothing which is of a single color throughout.
I prefer solids over paisleys.

Soft

Unprotected against or vulnerable to attack
A soft target.

Solid

(in the plural) Food which is not liquid-based.
The doctor said I can't eat any solids four hours before the operation.

Soft

In a soft manner; gently.

Solid

Solidly.

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.

Solid

Without spaces or hyphens.
Many long-established compounds are set solid.

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.

Solid

Having the constituent parts so compact, or so firmly adhering, as to resist the impression or penetration of other bodies; having a fixed form; hard; firm; compact; - opposed to fluid and liquid or to plastic, like clay, or to incompact, like sand.

Soft

Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines.

Solid

Not hollow; full of matter; as, a solid globe or cone, as distinguished from a hollow one; not spongy; dense; hence, sometimes, heavy.

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.

Solid

Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic; as, a solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.

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?

Solid

Firm; compact; strong; stable; unyielding; as, a solid pier; a solid pile; a solid wall.

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.

Solid

Applied to a compound word whose parts are closely united and form an unbroken word; - opposed to hyphened.

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.

Solid

Fig.: Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial, as opposed to frivolous or fallacious; weighty; firm; strong; valid; just; genuine.
The solid purpose of a sincere and virtuous answer.
These, wanting wit, affect gravity, and go by the name of solid men.
The genius of the Italians wrought by solid toil what the myth-making imagination of the Germans had projected in a poem.

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.

Solid

Sound; not weakly; as, a solid constitution of body.

Soft

Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even,And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.

Solid

Of a fleshy, uniform, undivided substance, as a bulb or root; not spongy or hollow within, as a stem.

Soft

Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.

Solid

Impenetrable; resisting or excluding any other material particle or atom from any given portion of space; - applied to the supposed ultimate particles of matter.

Soft

Somewhat weak in intellect.
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.

Solid

Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.

Soft

Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.

Solid

United; without division; unanimous; as, the delegation is solid for a candidate.
Repose you there; while I [return] to this hard house,More harder than the stones whereof 't is raised.
I hear his thundering voice resound,And trampling feet than shake the solid ground.

Soft

Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.

Solid

A substance that is held in a fixed form by cohesion among its particles; a substance not fluid.

Soft

Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing.

Solid

A magnitude which has length, breadth, and thickness; a part of space bounded on all sides.

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.

Solid

A substance that is solid at room temperature and pressure

Soft

A soft or foolish person; an idiot.

Solid

The state in which a substance has no tendency to flow under moderate stress; resists forces (such as compression) that tend to deform it; and retains a definite size and shape

Soft

Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
A knight soft riding toward them.

Solid

A three-dimensional shape

Soft

Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.
Soft, you; a word or two before you go.

Solid

Of definite shape and volume; firm; neither liquid nor gaseous;
Ice is water in the solid state
Water and milk and blood are liquid substances

Soft

Lacking in hardness relatively or comparatively

Solid

Of good substantial quality;
Solid comfort
A solid base hit

Soft

Metaphorically soft;
My father is a soft touch
Soft light
A soft rain
A soft Southern drawl
Soft brown eyes
A soft glance

Solid

Entirely of one substance with no holes inside;
Solid silver
A solid block of wood

Soft

Of sound; relatively low in volume;
Soft voices
Soft music

Solid

Of one substance or character throughout;
Solid gold
A solid color
Carved out of solid rock

Soft

Easily hurt;
Soft hands
A baby's delicate skin

Solid

Uninterrupted in space; having no gaps or breaks;
A solid line across the page
Solid sheets of water

Soft

Used chiefly as a direction or description in music;
The piano passages in the composition

Solid

Providing abundant nourishment;
A hearty meal
Good solid food
Ate a substantial breakfast

Soft

Used of beverages; not containing alcohol;
Nonalcoholic beverages
Soft drinks

Solid

Of good quality and condition; solidly built;
A solid foundation
Several substantial timber buildings

Soft

Of speech sounds; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh')

Solid

Having high moral qualities;
A noble spirit
A solid citizen
An upstanding man
A worthy successor

Soft

Tolerant or lenient;
Indulgent parents risk spoiling their children
Procedures are lax and discipline is weak
Too soft on the children

Solid

Not soft or yielding to pressure;
A firm mattress
The snow was firm underfoot
Solid ground

Soft

Having little impact;
An easy pat on the shoulder
Gentle rain
A gentle breeze
A soft (or light) tapping at the window

Solid

Having three dimensions;
A solid object

Soft

Not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship;
What a cushy job!
A soft job

Solid

Incapable of being seen through;
Solid blackness

Soft

In a relaxed manner; or without hardship;
Just wanted to take it easy

Solid

Entirely of a single color throughout;
A solid fabric

Solid

Acting together as a single undiversified whole;
A solid voting bloc

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