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SOFTLY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
With low volume
Example:
the radio was playing softly
Synonyms:
quietly; softly
Classified under:
Antonym:
loudly (with relatively high volume)
Pertainym:
soft ((of sound) relatively low in volume)
Sense 2
Meaning:
With little weight or force
Example:
she kissed him lightly on the forehead
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Sense 3
Meaning:
Used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly
Synonyms:
piano; softly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Sense 4
Meaning:
In a manner that is pleasing to the senses
Example:
she smiled softly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Context examples:
Sir Nigel shook his head and laughed softly to himself, “I see how it is with you,” he said.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Putting down his cigar he softly clapped his fat hands.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
"Then let old Ebbits teach the white man wisdom," I said softly.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
“I like you too well to hurt you,” he said softly—nay, there was a tenderness and a caress in his voice that made me wince.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
"I hope there will be more wheat and fewer tares every year," said Amy softly.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
I opened the door, passed out, shut it softly.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
“No, I do not,” said Fanny softly, hoping she did not err either in the belief or the acknowledgment of it.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
In a few minutes after, I heard the creaking of my door, as if some one endeavoured to open it softly.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Sherlock Holmes clapped his hands softly together and chuckled.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
He passed close beside us, stole over to the window, and very softly and noiselessly raised it for half a foot.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
