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Meaning & use

being soft-spoken

noun, phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌbiːɪŋ ˌsɒft ˈspəʊkən/
US/ˌbiːɪŋ ˌsɔːft ˈspoʊkən/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    The quality or habit of speaking in a quiet, gentle voice and rarely saying forceful things.

    Grammar: Uncountable: used as a subject or after prepositions ("being soft-spoken takes practice"), never with "a" or a plural.

    Patterns

    • being soft-spoken about something
    • being soft-spoken with someone
    • being soft-spoken comes across as …

    Being soft-spoken is an advantage when you work with nervous clients.

    Her being soft-spoken sometimes makes people underestimate how firm she can be.

    Being soft-spoken and being shy are not the same thing.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    Used to describe a person who talks quietly and gently, often as a mild, pleasant trait.

    Grammar: Comes after the verb "be": "She is soft-spoken." Adding "being" turns it into a description of that state rather than a permanent label.

    Patterns

    • be being soft-spoken
    • someone being soft-spoken

    I like that he is being soft-spoken with the new intern, who is easily upset.

    Being soft-spoken does not mean you cannot disagree.

Common combinations

a soft-spoken manner
His soft-spoken manner calmed the whole room.
quiet and soft-spoken
She is quiet and soft-spoken, but she notices everything.
soft-spoken but firm
The teacher was soft-spoken but firm about the deadline.
come across as soft-spoken
On the phone he comes across as soft-spoken and polite.
being soft-spoken with someone
Being soft-spoken with children usually works better than shouting.

Synonyms and how they differ

mild-mannered
Describes a calm, gentle way of behaving in general, not only the voice; a mild-mannered person may still speak loudly.
quiet
Simply means making little noise; it says nothing about tone or gentleness, so it fits a silent person better than a soft-spoken one.
gentle
Focuses on kindness and lack of force; you can be gentle without speaking softly, for example through your actions.

Opposites

loudbrashbooming

Word family

soft-spoken adjective
Speaking quietly and gently; the base form of this phrase.
soft-spokenly adverb
In a quiet, gentle voice; rare and mostly literary.
soft-spokenness noun
The quality of speaking quietly and gently; uncommon but understandable.

Commonly confused: being soft-spoken or softly spoken? being soft-spoken or well-spoken?

being soft-spoken vs softly spoken

This is a different word order and sounds odd as a fixed description of a person; English prefers the compound "soft-spoken" before a noun or after "be".

being soft-spoken vs well-spoken

Means speaking clearly and politely, with good choice of words; it is about how you express yourself, not how quietly.

Practice

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