Meaning & use
soft market
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Meaning
nouncountablebusinessfinance
A market condition with more supply than demand, so prices are low and buyers have the advantage.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or 'the': 'a soft market for cars'.
Patterns
- a soft market for something
- in a soft market
- the market is soft
Home sellers are struggling in a soft market.
In a soft market, buyers can negotiate lower prices.
The company blamed falling profits on a soft market for its products.
Word forms
| plural | soft markets |
|---|
Common combinations
- a soft market for housing
- A soft market for housing means fewer buyers and slower sales.
- face a soft market
- Retailers face a soft market this winter.
- in a soft market
- Prices usually drop in a soft market.
- a soft market environment
- The report describes a soft market environment for luxury goods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- buyer's market
- Buyer's market is the everyday phrase for the same idea; soft market is more technical and common in finance writing.
- slump
- A slump is a period of seriously reduced economic activity; a soft market is milder and simply means weaker demand.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: soft market or hard market?
soft market vs hard market
A hard market is the opposite: demand is high and sellers have the advantage. Do not mix them up.
Practice
In a soft market, who usually has the advantage?
Choose one answer.
A soft market means supply is greater than demand, so prices fall and buyers can negotiate. Sellers have the advantage in a hard market, not a soft one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soft market”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.