Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [sawft, soft sohp]
- /sɔft, sɒft soʊp/
- /sɒft səʊp/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [sawft, soft sohp]
- /sɔft, sɒft soʊp/
Definitions of soft-soap word
- verb with object soft-soap Informal. to cajole; flatter. 1
- verb with object soft-soap to apply soft soap to. 1
- verb without object soft-soap to use soft soap in washing. 1
- noun soft-soap Informal. persuasive talk; flattery: to use soft soap to get one's way. 1
- noun soft-soap the semifluid soap produced when potassium hydroxide is used in the saponification of a fat or an oil. 1
- verb soft-soap If you soft-soap someone, you flatter them or tell them what you think they want to hear in order to try and persuade them to do something. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of soft-soap
First appearance:
before 1820 One of the 38% newest English words
First recorded in 1820-30
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Soft-soap
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
soft-soap popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 32% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 66% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.
Synonyms for soft-soap
verb soft-soap
- arm-twist — to subject to arm-twisting: The unions arm-twisted the government into negotiating by threatening widespread strikes.
- arm-twisting — persuasion
- brown nose — a form of light sensitization in cattle
- brown-nose — to curry favor; behave obsequiously.
- bs — BS is an abbreviation for 'British Standard', which is a standard that something sold in Britain must reach in a test to prove that it is satisfactory or safe. Each standard has a number for reference.
noun soft-soap
- cajolery — persuasion by flattery or promises; wheedling; coaxing.
- flattery — the act of flattering.
- flummery — oatmeal or flour boiled with water until thick.
- hokum — out-and-out nonsense; bunkum.
- ingratiation — to establish (oneself or someone else) in the favor or good graces of someone, especially by deliberate effort (usually followed by with): He ingratiated himself with all the guests. She ingratiated her colleagues with her well-researched project proposal.
Antonyms for soft-soap
verb soft-soap
- mismatch — to match badly or unsuitably.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with s
- Words starting with so
- Words starting with sof
- Words starting with soft
- Words starting with softs
- Words starting with softso
- Words starting with softsoa
- Words starting with softsoap