as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking strength of will or character
softness is the one quality that the public will not tolerate in a leader
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Recent Examples of softness
The slouchy barrel-leg silhouette feels current without being overly trendy, while the fabric has enough softness and movement to remain comfortable throughout the day.
—
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026
There has been a softness to the team.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 May 2026
That softness feels revelatory coming from an artist who has so often weaponized irony and overstimulation as an entertainment strategy.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
Constellation Brands continues to gain share over its rivals despite near-term softness in the category as a whole.
—Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 13 May 2026
Your softness carries momentum today, and acting on desire could produce something substantial.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
Like the Tom Ford heels, the d’Orsay effect enhanced the shoe’s appearance by adding softness to the style.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
On sacrificio, Garbán leads the way through an underworld fantasy and nightmare, using the night as a canvas for disruption, chaos, and softness.
—Marcos Sanoja, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
Our reviewers with different curl types praised the shampoo for its gentleness and the softness their hair felt after use.
—Aimee Simeon, Glamour, 7 May 2026
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026
There has been a softness to the team.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 May 2026
That softness feels revelatory coming from an artist who has so often weaponized irony and overstimulation as an entertainment strategy.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
Constellation Brands continues to gain share over its rivals despite near-term softness in the category as a whole.
—Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 13 May 2026
Your softness carries momentum today, and acting on desire could produce something substantial.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
Like the Tom Ford heels, the d’Orsay effect enhanced the shoe’s appearance by adding softness to the style.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
On sacrificio, Garbán leads the way through an underworld fantasy and nightmare, using the night as a canvas for disruption, chaos, and softness.
—Marcos Sanoja, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
Our reviewers with different curl types praised the shampoo for its gentleness and the softness their hair felt after use.
—Aimee Simeon, Glamour, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softness
weakness
Noun
-
Rippling was also built with a stronger emphasis on operational infrastructure and compliance, according to Conrad, who has said that one of the weaknesses at Zenefits was that a lot was done manually behind the scenes.—
Ellen Sheng,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
Brunson’s defense and the lack of rim protection from Towns remain weaknesses, but nobody has come close to exploiting them so far.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Softness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softness. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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